I enjoy keeping them company, deciphering my Nonno’s english and the look on my Nonna’s face as her husband of 60 years tells me how Deal or No Deal is rigged.
The last time I sat down with them, enjoying my Nonna’s cooking a little too much, we got to talking about what life was like when they first came to Australia from Italy.
They told me about how no one understood a word they said, how they had to overcome poverty and sickness to raise a family, how they taught themselves a new language, toiled on fields and made a new home.
By comparison, it makes my lifestyle today look like a walk in the park – which in reality is an understatement.
My grandparents have seen a fair bit in their time: World War 2, the first TV, the telephone, man on the moon, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the medical revolution, the internet, reality TV, the Sopranos finale, Avatar, a black president and a female Prime Minister.
How did they manage to go through life without mobile phones, Facebook, Twitter and 38-hour work weeks for those first 70-odd years?
While we’re on the subject, what would my beautiful Nonna twitter in 1952?
Nonna_CoolJ: Just walked 22 kilometres to do some shopping, am off to cook for my husband, fend off snakes and pick peas in the farm. Thank God I was born in this era.
Every generation works hard so their children and grandchildren can have a better life.
In 20 years, I’ll be sitting down with my little son Dominic Jnr or daughter eBay, trying to get them to respect me and my plight and I’ll have nothing.
“I never copped a beating, fought in a war or faced any real hardship, but during my time… ummm… petrol prices were pretty high.”
“WOW dad! Tell us again about that horrible day you had to iron your own shirt!”
What legacy will we leave?
We were able to successfully justify laziness? We had the combined attention span of a three year old child? We stood idly by and let Paris Hilton become a celebrity?
I've had enough. I'm putting a stop to this. I'm going to stand up and do something memorable. Something my grandchildren can respect me for… right after I’m finished watching this show…
Love it Dom! You made me laugh, as always!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately you won't know what legacy you will leave until your time has passed. As I grew up in the 70s, there have been a lot of changes since my days. We rode bikes without helmets, and if you were lucky enough to have a trampoline, it wouldn't have had a safety net. We managed to communicate without mobile phones (I didn't get my first phone until I was 30!). I did my whole schooling without using a computer. We went on long car trips (from Sydney to Wonthaggi) with four kids in the back seat, no seatbelts, and no air conditioning. We never wore hats or sunscreen. There was no weekend trading (the shops were only open until midday on Saturday). And there were no ATMs, so you had to make sure you got to the bank before they closed on Friday in order to get some cash out for the weekend. When I worked in the bank, we actually ran out of money on the Thursday before the Easter break, and there was a queue out the bank and up the road at least a kilometre long! I’m starting to sound old now, aren't I?