Friday, April 22, 2016

My Grandma the Guru

MY GRANDMA WAS A GURU - You know all those self-help books out there -- with advice on everything from lowering your cholesterol to raising your self-esteem -- it turns out that they are just regurgitating everything my grandmother always told me. And there’s a good chance your grandparents told you the same things. Which makes our grandparents kind of like gurus. Let’s think about it:



NUTRITION - Nellen (my grandmother) was always urging us to take cod liver oil, “It gives you brainpower.” It turns out, Fish Oil is full of Omega-3’s, and is a cornerstone of healthy diets. The sale of Fish oil capsules is through the roof, and guess what? It’s good for your brain!

FITNESS - “Use it or lose it,” my grandma used to say. And in fact, fitness experts recommend daily exercise of at least 30 minutes a day, instead of the weekend warrior style of bursts of fitness. Because unless you move it every day, you will in fact, lose it. This is why so many weekend warrior suffer chronic injuries.

ON MONEY - “Take care of the pennies, and the dollars will look after themselves.” It’s really the best money advice ever. Save your pennies and they will turn into dollars, at that point you can turn them over to your bank or your financial advisor to invest -- but it’s up to you to save those pennies!

DINNERTIME TOGETHER - people now think it’s almost “revolutionary” to make a home cooked meal every night and sit down at the table together to eat it. (Hey, I didn’t say the meal was delicious or my table was even cleaned off!) It’s something my grandmother always insisted on and now I see why. It brings our busy family together every day, even if they wolf down their food and go do their homework or retreat to their man cave.

BEAUTY ADVICE - “Your best beauty asset is your smile,” my grandmother always said. Now they have things like Smile Therapy (No, I’m not kidding!) But Nellen always knew, smiling not only makes you look good, it makes you feel good.

"SPREAD THE WEALTH" was one of Nellen's favorite sayings - every success guru says the same thing. Having success is not enough. Sharing the wealth and giving generously is an integral part of being Successful.

"FAMILY IS EVERYTHING" - actually, what my grandma used to say is “someday when I’m gone, it will be you and your brother and you have to look after each other and stick together because family is everything.” At the time, the thought of a World without Nellen was both inconceivable and depressing. But as always, she was right. Family is everything. Not the money, not fame, not retweets. And family can take many forms. Your immediate family, your extended family, your neighborhood and community. It’s important to find a way to stay connected to your family every day.

When I was a little girl, I thought if anything ever happened to my grandma, I would want the world to stop so I could get off. But that’s not the way it works. Although she died in 1994, Nellen lives on in me and my brother, and everything she taught us, which we have passed down to our kids. So while it would be nice to have a convertible and clothes from the 3rd floor of Neiman Marcus; I will drive my Mom-mobile with the 3rd row; and recycle my clothes over and over, and instead invest our money in our kids’ education, our love of travel -- and fish oil. Because at the end of the day, I can look at my family, smile, and say thank you Grandma, I now know what it really important.

Have a great day, everyone and as always, Remember to Count Your Blessings! (My grandmother's MOST favorite saying) <3 Mrs. Lo www.LoBiondoPage.Blogspot.com



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