I was talking to my mum the other day about her parents and their lives. I don't know very much about my mum's parents - her mum died before I was born, and while her dad only died about a year and a half ago, he wasn't the kind of person i could just sit down and chat to..

But in a half an hour conversation, I learnt so much about him that I hadn't in 20 years. I knew that both of my grandfathers were self-made people (in terms of money, not conception or anything!) They both used incredible intelligence and hard work to make a decent place for themselves in the world, when they were both from poor backgrounds...but I have never known the details of my maternal grandfather's life. My mum told me how his father had actively encouraged him not to further his education because he wanted him to work as a clerk like others in the family...but my grandad managed to get a loan and supported himself that way despite that. He didn't go to university, but he started at the bottom and worked his way up, until eventually he was one of the top engineers. My paternal grandfather's life seems to have gone along similar vein. Knowing that it was their brains and hard work that has allowed me to live in the way I have really inspired me - I want to be able to provide the same opportunities for my kids.
I also learnt about my mum's mother...how her father had re-married after his 1st wife died in childbirth, and how she had to watch her step-brother beat her dad up towards the end of his life, because he wanted the house and money left to him - it sounds like her life had lead her to be a wise woman...I would have loved to have known her.

On a totally unrelated topic.....

I went for a run today in my local park. I go there all the time, but it's usually in the dark these days, when we walk the dogs there. I was running and running...surpising myself at how easy I was finding it, when a song I didn't like came on my music player, so I stopped to skip it. As I looked up, I took a deep breath in. The air was cold and fresh so I could feel it travelling down, re-energising my body. The ground was covered with firey orange leaves and the mud on either side of the path was still slightly wet from the night before, glistening in the evening light.

It was all breathtakingly beautiful. All I could hear was my music - the leaves were still apart from the odd flutter from a bird, the cold hung in the air, englufing my skin as I stood still in it. Just for a minute, I didn't feel lonely or sad or determined or worried. None of those daily feelings I've gotten so used to were there, I just felt...peace.

Which is just what I needed, even if it was only for a minute.