What My Grandfather Taught Me – Lesson #1

One hour a day, three days a week, pretty well every week for ten years my grandfather (Opa) would teach me either Lithuanian or German language.

At the time it was gruelling.  I called it “the dungeon”, even though we sat in a well-lit ground floor room in my grandparents’ house.  It felt like I was being punished for doing nothing wrong.

Opa would ask me if I would ever forget him.  Of course I couldn’t.  Who could forget the selflessness of dedicating so many hours for so many years to an ungrateful grandchild.  Let me be clear that I wasn’t ungrateful for ever!  As I aged I recognized the wonderful luck I had had  as a teenager to spend so much one-on-one time with my Opa.

And after all that time I did indeed learn to speak Lithuanian and German with correct grammar and pronunciation, but that was probably the smallest aspect I gained from all that time.

I learned that patience is so important, especially when working with people.  Indeed I didn’t appreciate Opa’s dedication to me for years.  He could have easily agreed to stop the lessons after one or two tear-filled afternoons, but he didn’t.  he knew what was good for me, even if I couldn’t recognize it at the time.  Be patient with others.  Take the time to see their point of view and make a genuine effort to understand them and their motivations.  It will make all the difference to your relationship!

I also learned that it’s not just the amount of time, but the quality of time you spend with someone that’s so important.  Having that one-on-one attention for so many years is something that I’ve never heard anyone else receive from a grandparent, and indeed many children don’t receive that kind of attention from their parents!  What an incredible and indelible impression has been left on me.  If you want to leave a lasting impression, make sure the time you spend with someone is without distractions.