sherrylowry

   What my Grandmother taught me in spades by the time I was age 4 was that there was actually time for everything - AND I had to turn into when it was actually MY turn vs her turn. I guess I luckily grew up in what possibly could be described as one of America's rare "US Generations" as opposed to a "ME Generation." 

So - what's the current-day moral here?  

My current and avid interest is in discovering what a Savvy Generation we actually have - despite all media and hype about the trials and tribulations of integrating Generation - A_B_C and such into our current workplaces. This has not been a personal or professional challenge for me - and so I'm on a major journey to identify and literally "study" those of us who actually are welcoming these 5-generations now being in the trenches with us. In this process, I've a delightful collective of people-resources I am learning from and through regularly.  AND...in this process, I'm learning much about their roots - and am reflecting quite a bit upon my own.

A major source of "Root" for this maternal grandmother, Emma, a woman originally from Ireland, an immigrant for sure, who brought many values she lived through vs talked about with her. She demonstrated a respect for making hard work fun and was a living demonstration of diligence in most all things her life included. Just how Grandma LIVED day-to-day was much better for me than "pre-school" - which was fortunate, as that was actually non-existent as a resource at that time.

Somehow, as the primary food and daily sustenance or physical provider for her entire family now that my Grandfather had "passed," my Grandma Emma still had time to make sure I learned to begin to read before I was 4 years. While it's still a mystery to me as to how - I also understood the distinction between her "prayer" time in her big rocker in our "parlor" and my "lap time" where she taught me many of what was to become invaluable "school-type" things - all well before there was such as "pre-school" officially available.

So - a big gift she gave me so early in life was all about the rewards of "self-management." She helped me gracefully "get" the magic of a grandmother ALWAYS having plenty of time for me. Looking back, I realize that was quite an amazing early-education for this curious little kid who in those war-days lived full-time with her with my Mom who worked.

And - the key to that always available and loving Grandma-lap, her helping set of hands, or my passport of accompaniment out into our neighborhood world, only hinged on WHEN and HOW I asked for her company or presence. NOT at prayer-time, NOT during meal-prep time, NOT at nap-time or bedtime - what the distinction of watching her for clues of receptivity.

She also somehow taught me how to be helpful in ways that now are quite amazing to recall, which included (vats and vats) of shelling home-grown creme-peas, purple-hull peas, and other wonders in pods by the time I could sit stably in the rocker on our big front porch beside her.

Because World War II was in process, my Mother and I lived in Houston, Texas with my Grandmother for several years while my Dad was in the South Pacific as a Frogman in the Navy. Grandma and I "ran the house" and the gardens and orchard by day, and by night, our home became something of a "hospitality" and greeting spot of great popularity. This was located right in the very heart of Houston, very close in those days to what was known as "downtown." A favorable location it was.

Literally every weeknight, each of my Mother's siblings (4 of them plus her) converged after their "jobs" with the whole family of each in tow for dinner at Grandma's. Of course, since I LIVED there, I was always included. All day Grandma and I would harvest from the vegetable garden and the orchard (figs, peaches, limes, lemons, and sometimes really sour tangerines) when things were in season, OR we'd trek down to Farmer's Market to glean what she spotted as the best of the offerings of the locals.

But back to today. Now I am having a number of opportunities to speak and meet with our 20's in the workplace, at universities, and simply in our community. What I'm finding useful is exchanging with them about what it takes to BECOME the type of human they most want as their bosses, their professors, their colleagues, their mentors, and their friends. I'm tapping original research I've done with the help of Anna Carroll (http://www.InteractionDesign.com) and Melinda Sinclair, my equally good friend in Tonronto (http://www.MelindaSinclair.com) to identify 7 Categories of traits/behaviors related to what I believe is helping form a Savvy Generation of people.

My life-lessons and models I recognized early - and now the trend continues though I'm in my 7th Decade of this terrific life. 

This Breakin Through! set of reflections and discoveries will be documenting more of these of my own and of my very special resources -- of all generations.

In closing, who do you know who you notice does seem to be a part of the Savvy Generation? How will you know? They welcome the differences between generations, between cultures, between the various practices and histories of those they encounter. They convert challenges, which often do come with these, into opportunities - and they do this quite agilely and gratefully.

My hope is to get your perceptions around all this - and whenever possible, to also meet with you to share the experiences and to make introductions of you to others I'm meeting who are part of a Savvy Generation.