More Important Things To Do

When I was in high school all the way through university, people would ask me to do mundane things that meant going out of my way to do them, and I would decline, saying that I had more important things to do. I passed on parties, hanging out in others' homes, trying my hand at different sports, spending afternoons in parks, and such, all in favor of my spending time alone writing and painting.

Today, when others try to pry me away from doing what I am doing, I still say that I have more important things to do. This time around, what I mean is that the most important thing to me is taking care of my grandchildren.

Whenever I pause, reflect, and look back on my childhood, I see that my sisters and I were "the more important things to do" for my parents and the aunts who took care of us, and I am joyful, now, that I realize this and that it is a legacy that is passed on from generation to generation.