Photo Credit basykes’ photos
At first glance, an elder person’s hands may look ugly to you. But the wrinkles, thin skin and visible veins are like a road map to their past.
How carefully do you listen when your parents, grandparents or an elderly person speaks? Do you tune them out? Do you assume their rambling stories have no merit? Do you fidget knowing the story is going to be long? Do you muti-task as you pretend to be listening to the story? Are you counting the seconds until they stop speaking? Do you make up an excuse and leave the room?
If you answered “Yes” to any of the questions, you are making a big mistake.
You need to listen carefully. Listen, very very carefully.
Their stories are filled with tons of knowledge and wisdom.
What they have to say, cannot be found in text books. Rarely can it be found online.
It’s not often I find a blog written by an author, who like me, writes from years of life’s experience.
When I do, I read their words.
This week’s NBOTW is a female, with a profile that reads similar to mine…a daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother, who is learning and growing and loving life. In other words, a non-traditional age blogger.
Her first blog post is dated 11/26/07. It was in Clay Collins’ (The Growing Life) comment section, that I found a link to this blog.
From digging through the archives of her blog, I noticed she has very few comments. But, that hasn’t stopped her. She has continued to write, to share, to help.
For young bloggers, it’s to your advantage to read what older bloggers write. It’s from years of experience, mistakes made and lessons learned, from which their posts are constructed.
To quote this blogger, she describes her blog as:
A place where I’ll share a story, perhaps a thought and some reflections and we’ll meet somewhere in the middle. I like to think of it as a gathering around the kitchen table late at night when everything is still and the world has quieted down to rest.
The name of the blog is Plain Talk – Ordinary Wisdom. The author’s name is Pat.
Join me in welcoming Pat to BWAB and to our community of cyberspace friends.
Hello Pat!
Hi Clay,
I’m happy to see you agree the “torch” should be passed on to Pat.
I hope you enjoyed your reign as NBOTW. I’ll be watching your progress in my reader, however, I have no doubt you’ll be a great success in all you pursue.
What a great selection. Pat *is* wonderful.
Clay Collins | The Growing Life’s last blog post..Creating Goal Movies: A 12 Step Guide
Welcome Pat, I’ll stop by to check out your blog. I look forward to your blog of the week Barbara, great finds.
Natural Woman’s last blog post..Meet the Bloggers, Part Deux
Hi Barbara – I’ve just been checking out Pat’s blog and it is wonderful. But when I saw the pictures of the hands, I thought you had found the first 100 year old blogger. I’m guessing she’s around 50 though right? But, I suppose that would seem old to the teenagers and twentysomethings on line. It is depressing – I’m 40 next year.
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Anti-Squash Business Survival Tips
Is it Tuesday already?
I now use new blog of the week rather than a watch or calendar to get a fix on where I’m up to.
I love Pat’s blog. And I’m shocked she doesn’t get comments. I realise great content is seen as the key to building audience in the blogging world, but her work demands a comment.
It’s a fantastic, thought-provoking post she wrote on wisdom. I love the first quote – the little rhyme – but I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t yet been.
Thanks Barbara for another great find!
Ian Denny’s last blog post..Small Business Credit Crunch Survival Kit
Catherine, those hands aren’t hers. If you click through to flicker, it says the hands belong to a 91 year old, so you were pretty close with 100.
Pat, congratulations on being NBOTW! Hope to see you around here.
Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..The Rules For Providing Value
Hi Natural Woman,
Pat has a great blog about “life”. I like her description of “sitting at the kitchen table”……so much can be learned at the kitchen table.
Hi Cath,
You may be right. 40 or 50 something may seem ancient to the young bloggers, however, when I was young, I learned a lot by listening to my elders.
Hi Ian,
It’s Tuesday!
I’m happy you all like my pick for the week. I think Pat’s blog deserves more attention than it’s getting.
Hi Nicole,
I used to keep asking my Gramma to retell the stories of when she was a little girl in Finland. Her hands were crippled up with arthritis, but she continued to knit until she died.
Hunter,
I like that you did your homework.
The hands were just my way of expressing how older bloggers have so much to share. It looks like the picture got everyone’s attention. And hopefully it will be a reminder for everyone to ask a favorite elder to “share a story”.
I always loved my Grandmom’s and Granddad’s hands.
And other than my Mom I never got tired of listening to Granny’s stories (maybe because my memory is so bad?)
I wish I had a pocture of her hands… 🙁
Hi Sterling,
Isn’t that a good reminder for all of us to stop for a moment and enjoy the beauty in our surroundings?
Barbara, thanks for sharing that great find. The image of the hands is wonderful.
I was struck by how for an “older blogger”, Pat writes with such a fresh viewpoint. Her article “We Live In An Amazing World” evokes an almost childlike amazement and appreciation for a world that most of us take for granted.
sterling | bizlift’s last blog post..How To Travel & Work Remotely As A Couple
I actually have a grand old time talking to the elderly. I used to work with them alot right after high school and they would always send me ito fits and giggles. They always had great stories, lessons and lucky me, when I fell in love – it was with a man who made a habit of “adopting” grandparents 🙂
I love this pick Barbara but we all know you have a knack for finding the gems 😉
lol Thank you for sharing this link with us
😀
JEMi @ InMyHeels’s last blog post..Waiting to Live
Wow!! I am humbled and honored to be accepted as your New Blog of the Week. Thank you Barbara and your commenters and those that have sent comments on my blog from having seen your pick of the week. I’ve seen an increase in traffic today and I know it must be your regulars checking it out. For that, I am most grateful.
What a wonderful lead-in story of the elderly. Like your commenters I love talking to the elderly and spending time with them. I visit an assisted living center almost every Sunday evening and we sit and talk. One of my regular residents that attends is 101 years young and is as sharp as can be. When they talk about their age and era, I tease them that I’m not that far behind and bringing up the rear (I’m 60).
I’m looking forward to sitting down at the kitchen table and catching up with what you’ve written, read your feeds and get to know your community and what they write. It’s like a whole new world has opened up to me. I already like what I’ve read so far.
I’ll put a link to your site on my blog. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you or your readers.
Blessings
Pat R’s last blog post..What Constitutes Wisdom?
Hi JEMi,
I like that , “adopting grandparents”. Can anyone ever have too many grandparents?
Thank you for your kind words.
Welcome Pat,
As you can tell from the previous comments, we all love your writings. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and all others in blogosphere.
I love your how you use the term “kitchen table”. So many memories have been created in my life at kitchen tables, it gave me an instant connection to you.
I know you will find many great reads as you sift through the blogs of my loyal commenters. They all write great stuff, and we all love to visit each other and show our support.
Welcome to our community. Enjoy your reign and thank you for the link.
I love the photo. My aunt at 95 was really into the Internet and e-mail. She lives in Canada and would e-mail back and forth with her sister in New Zealand. She never tried blogging however, but she would have if she had discovered it.
Patricia
Patricia Robb’s last blog post..Showing Initiative When Using Our Letter Openers
Hello Patricia Robb,
Welcome to BWAB!
Wouldn’t that have been an interesting blog? I bet her stories would have been gems.
I quickly checked out your blog, didn’t have time to comment, but will be back later. It looks like a fascinating one.