Oh, No You Don’t!

Actually, oh yes I do.

Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash

As a well behaved child of the 50s and 60s, and the daughter of a powerhouse Italian Mother, I grew up with a strict set of rules.

And by “rules” I don’t mean “expectations”. I mean RULES. A set of behaviors that were meant to be unquestioned, eternal and strictly followed. They were so ingrained in my soul that even at the age of 67, I still make the bed within five minutes of getting up in the morning.

The penalty for breaking the invisible rules was an overwhelming surge of guilt and fear of excommunication from the “good girl” club. It was a risk I was rarely willing to take.

But this morning I decided that it was time to rebel.

OK, sure. I’m a grandmother, and Mom has been gone for almost two years.

But I never acted up as a teen. Never. I was beyond boring. So I’m rebelling now.

Let me tell you all about my first act of defiance.

It all started two weeks ago. I went to the grocery store, as usual. I shopped the sales, and bought generic whenever I could find it. I avoided plastic as much as I could. I bought local, organic and sustainable items.

Just call me Grandma GoodyTwoShoes.