Ann Podolski Palmer

What elements, combined together, provide the necessary mix to bring about a contented life? So many people are reflecting now on the situations in this world and say that this is a dark time; that no good result can or will achieve that illusory state of fulfillment any longer; and that the human race has descended to a new low. However, I find that if we look to the past, especially in our own heritage and families, we will find people who not only found happiness but found it despite very tough conditions and poverty-stricken environments.

So how did we get here? I have often paused, while teaching literary studies, to have the students read a bit about an author’s background, just to comprehend the milieu that fostered the creative impulse to commend something meaningful to history. One of the main reasons I have always done this is also to help future lovers of literature realize what a hard life so many luminaries of the written word had to go through—not only to write (oftentimes with not much paper or pen!) but to translate experience into deeper meaning for anyone who wants to read, listen, or write as well. They tell us the stories of life, however unique.

I believe that the impetus to pass down something, to commemorate its being in our minds and hearts, is ever more present when conflict is a constant theme that leads the sufferer to overcome and triumph over limited options. Therefore, looking at past history can tell us not only the truth but also how to find a way through present crises.

Anyone who says that the times we’re living in are the worst need not look far to find solace in the strength of their ancestors and their inspiring lives. Seeing through this lens is to look at the facts of their lives and wonder how they did it. As much as I have had to rewrite my own career story a number of times now, my hardships are nothing compared to those of my great-grandmother, who traveled by ship from Australia to Scotland to America during her short 42 years of life. She gave birth to five little girls, the last of whom died before her at one year old. There was no indoor toilet or running water in her life, and yet the daughters she left behind led purposeful, productive lives after losing their mother at such young ages.

They knew their success, even their survival, depended on them alone. They became good students in school and contributing members of society. One of them was my grandmother, Aimee, who was a model to her four grandchildren and remains so to this day. She was content every day, gardening and preserving food for the months ahead. She grew and tended that garden after a full day behind a desk as the administrator for the town doctor, and she kept those records and appointments in excellent form for over thirty years.

Thinking about her hardships always brings me up short, making me realize that if she could live to 95 years and remain productive, then I should stop dwelling in the doldrums and just get on with my life. I think of how she was born into a world with no heat in her house, no radio or television, and no cars. She could grow flower and vegetable gardens that would provide joy and sustenance for her family all through the winter, cook the most delicious meals, and make me a cup of tea with honey and lemon if I had a sore throat.

When I hear people say that times are tough these days, I make myself (or my daughter) a cup of tea with honey and lemon and simply say a prayer of thanks to my mother, her mother Aimee, and her mother Elizabeth for being strong for all of us. That stoic strength is what keeps the human race viable and able to rise above even the darkest of times. So take a look at those who preceded you and make them proud that their efforts were not in vain; strive to make them proud of you.