The World Through Wrinkled Eyes

By. Taylor Morgan

Sometimes I wonder how the world might seem to our grandparents, and are we the weird ones? The ones so obsessed with the future that we forget the present.

Was the world safer when we couldn’t track each other to know we were safe? Was it safer when we walked down the street and knew our neighbors but not where we stood in the world? I’m not afraid of the world I live in now, but maybe our grandparents have a point. Maybe we should take a second and listen to how they saw and still see the world. They tease us about smartphones and the internet, and we tell them they don’t understand. However, they seem to remember birthdays without phone calendars, and what their grandchild’s favorite treat is without Instagram or Facebook.

These men and women fought in wars we can’t comprehend, and watched the world change. We see the world as it is now and how it has changed in the past 20 years, however they see the world as it was 80 years ago, 60 years ago, 40 years ago, and 20 years ago. Maybe they know a few things we don’t about the world. They don’t have all the facts; many are stuck in old ways that no longer work with the world we live in now. However, many of them are the first to stand up for change and love, and fight for what is right.

I wonder if we would have survived the world they lived in, and how we would react if we saw the world through their clear and wrinkled eyes.

Note from author: This piece is inspired by my grandmother. She is the most intelligent woman I have ever met, and every man and woman she meets comes through more thoughtful, kindhearted, and a little bit smarter. She does not have a college degree, yet she can recite poetry, history, literature, and is a skilled writer. She singlehandedly used her compassion and knowledge to raise a family filled with love, and she found a man who not only valued her, but cherished those traits that made her a strong woman, and together they raised two strong women, and then two strong grandchildren. I will forever be proud to call her my grandmother. She fought for love and kindness for her children and grandchildren, and as I faced emotional abuse and trauma she stood by my side and fought the battles I was too tired to fight. Grandma, this piece is dedicated to the love that you've shown me for the past twenty three-years.

Taylor Morgan is a graduate student in Monterey, CA. She is a survivor of trauma, emotional abuse, and crippling OCD/Depression. She is firm in her belief that until strong women come out and tell their stories, the stigma surrounding women with anxiety and emotions will never be surmounted. She is a proud daughter, granddaughter, and sister to amazingly strong women who have been pushing the boundaries of feminism for decades.

You can find more of Taylor’s work on Instagram: @tayjm233 and Facebook: facebook.com/taylor.morgan.3363