Monday, March 22 (Day 11): My Grandmother on my father's side passed away a few years ago at the age of 91. She was an amazing woman and very independent. My grandfather passed away in 1966 and she had lived on her own since his death. As she was aging and her eyesight got worse, she limited her driving in a a strange, but very effective way. For about 5 years, she would go out driving only one time each week and make all of her stops in a specific pattern so that she never had to make a left hand turn against traffic. She would make only right hand turns to the drugstore, then the hardware store, then the bank, then the grocery and finally back home. One big square. lol. As her eyesight worsen further she stopped driving her 1964 Chevelle, but she refused to give up her car keys. No matter what my father said to her, she refused to relinquish those keys. It frustrated the heck out of him but I thought it was great. She told me that once she gave up her keys, she felt that her independence would be gone. Her favorite saying to me used to be: "You know Jeff, if I could just get someone to back my car out of my long narrow driveway for me, I would be fine to drive!"
I couldn't help but think of my grandmother today when I was at the grocery store and saw an elderly woman struggling to get her bags into her car. I helped her load her bags into her car and after I was done she asked me if I could help direct her out of her parking space. I did so with a smile on my face, thinking about my grandmother and almost hearing her say "if I could just get someone to help me back my car out ...."
- Jeff Hamilton
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