My Grandfather- The Life Connoisseur

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

I happened to be born in the highlands of Kenya. A saying goes you can never choose your parent or where you are born. I will proudly say that I grew in a loving and caring home though it had its ups and downs. Both of my parents were government officials working in the city and my grandfather detested us staying in Nairobi purporting that it was confusing just like the Movie Inception by Leonardo DiCaprio. It was therefore reached into a consensus that I and my siblings should stay under the watch of my grandpa living close to his house.

I fought the decision but I was too young to be heard. In African culture, the adult has the final say and a child is not allowed to challenge a decision. My grandfather however honed a skill that has helped me all my life. He loved to read! The old chap was not university educated but had been nominated as a manager of a local dairy. His accounting prowess amazed and awed many. Apart from reading, doing farm chores such as hand milking, fencing, digging, planting, grazing among many other duties were assigned.

Lucky me, I was smart and understood education rather easily compared to my age mates. I was always leading in class. My grades amazed many despite me having a stutter in my speech and slow when it came to doing handy things. After completing the chores in the evening, I would take a bath in a basin then join my grandfather in his study. We would burn the midnight oil as I read tons of storybooks and solved mathematical equations.

Occasionally, I would break the pin-drop silence with my curious string of queries. My grandfather never got tired of answering me. He even went further and gave me more information than I could handle. He would formulate complex equations for me and I would scratch my head for days looking for a solution. In case it became too laborious for me he would give me a hint but never the answer. This made my classwork a piece of cake as I had tougher equations to solve and a ton of storybooks to finish at home.

Weeks would pass and my parents would come. They quickly realized that we had created a natural rapport with grandpa that was rigid. I would leave the house and go to my grandfather study and leave at wee hours of the morning. This would result in me dozing off in class the next day. However, my performance remained excellent.

My grandfather taught me different techniques of understanding and retaining information. I still use these methods today. To easily remember things:

·        Make a thing out of proportion

·        Add some life to the item or information.

·        Exaggerate the item or something you want to remember- I always use this to easily remember people’s names I will make a joke then that way I hardly forget a name.

·        Force yourself to WANT to remember.

At the age of 75, he ran a successful hardware business, he was a church leader and organized get-togethers that are no longer held. He insisted on togetherness and that if we separate then the enemy can easily conquer. Divide and rule. He taught the bible more profoundly and hence I was a staunch Christian growing up. The Christian doctrines of hope and doing good all the time seems not to be in application in the world that am living. I, however, still echo the teachings in the Bible. This has helped me in solving life issues with ease.

His hardware shop was a beehive of activities as regional heads held mini-meetings there. When I was in the town center I would go and greet him at the shop. He detested me staying in the small town and insisted that I should go home and read. However, sometimes I would hang out and help him with the sales in the shop. The people who came to the shop would praise his character and intelligence. His ability to look for solutions in dilemma situations was unmatched. Some people would even call him Solomon- a wise king in the bible.

Another virtue that he taught me was courage. Fear was not in his dictionary and would tackle matters like a man. Self-confidence, the belief that you are in a position to accomplish any task presented to you was also constantly emphasized. He would quote the bible and tell the story of a man called Job. God tested this man but his unwavering faith in him was never shaken by the trials. Maintaining a code of never telling a lie no matter the consequences was also a virtue that my grandpa taught those that interacted with him. Honesty pays.

In his final days, he was laid in the hospital and he would say that if his time has come to go then let it be. He would say that he has lived a wonderful and god-fearing life. He would tell us not to be sad but go and teach the world what he has taught us all. Since he was a church leader, pastors and high ranking bishops frequented the hospital. The word of the lord was used to console and give us, the family, hope that all will be well.

ABOUT THE STORY

I was to write about a political figure. But I decided to celebrate a hero that has influenced the way I go about life. Though times are not like when I was a kid when everything seemed so simple. Responsibilities continue to pile every day. That’s part of being an adult.

Let us celebrate those that have had a direct impact on our lives. Those are the stories that we want to read. I hope that this article has been an eye-opener and didactic too.

Based on a TRUE STORY

Find me on Upwork https://www.upwork.com/o/profiles/users/~01f7785d7bdd58b323/ I am a freelance writer and researcher.

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