Grannie

Would you believe I have a living great-grandmother? She is in her mid-nineties and lives about an hour and a half from me. She's the matriarch on my mother's father's side of the family. I don't really hang with that side of the fam, for various reasons that would bore you to tears, but I do enjoy her company when I talk to her.

She's deeply religious and ever-so-slightly forgetful.

I spoke with her tonight about this walk. She was reminding me of the dangers of tobacco, the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, the ills of refined sugars and the sinfulness of alcohol. We had a similar conversation the week before.
Our conversation went like this:

Me: Hey, Grandma. Did I tell you I am walking in a big walk this summer? I'm walking sixty miles to raise awareness for breast cancer and to fund research.

Grandma: Why on earth would you want to do something as crazy as that?

Me: It's a great cause, Grandma. One in eight women will be affected by breast cancer in her lifetime.

Grandma: I should think you could find better things to do with your time than walking. What kind of crazy walk is this?

Me: It's an organized walk, there's lots of participants.

Grandma: Well, I think you should stay at home and take care of your children. Those children need you. Who is gonna look after them while you're off walking?

Me: Oh, Grandma, my husband will look after the kids. He'll bring the baby to me along the way so I can nurse her.

Grandma: What do you think you are gonna prove by walking all that way? That is just crazy. I think it's rather foolish of you, to tell you the truth. What if something should happen to one of your children while you are gone? How would you feel then?

Me: Well, Grandma. I guess I'm not too worried. M-- will take good care of them. Plus, I'm sort of walking for them. Maybe if we raise enough money and increase awareness, they won't have to worry about breast cancer when they get older.

Grandma: What do you expect to prove anyway?

Me: I'm just trying to help the cause, Grandma.

Grandma: I'm old fashioned. I don't think your walking all that way is helping anybody. I think it's silliness. It's all so you can feel grand.

Me: Grandma, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one...

And we did. She calmed down a bit and I laughed it off. For some reason, perhaps her candor, I was able to hear her without taking what she said personally. I imagine the 3-Day might seem silly to someone who also thinks wedding registries are in bad taste. She practically had a heart attack when given my wedding registry, I'm told. My aunts had to assure her that everyone registered for wedding presents nowdays. It didn't matter to her, I got pink sheets. Pink flannel sheets.

They were warm, anyway.

I guess it is kind of crazy. The walk asks each participant to do what they think is impossible: raise an impossible amount of money and then walk an impossible distance. After that, it stands to reason, anything is possible: even a cure for breast cancer.

Good ol' Grannie doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. She's spent the last ninety-six years living her life, carving a niche in this grand world. She's seen more than any of us have, and most of us ever will see. To her, you just do. You live your life and tend to the children and eat right. That is enough. I wish it were. I wish she had the answers because it would make things easier for so many women. Hell, it would make it easier on me and my sore legs.

But it's not enough. That's why I walk.