Stubbornness or Wisdom?
In the Poem “My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears”, I was very shocked at how confidently the author’s grandmother went to wash her feet in the public sink. Doing such a thing would be embarrassing for me and seem backwards; against all social cleanliness codes. I felt bad because I felt myself identifying with the women looking crazily at the grandmother. If I had seen someone washing their feet in a public sink, I would be taken aback. However, hearing the story behind the feet washing made me rethink my stance. I respect and admire how this woman continues to wash her feet despite the stares and comments she receives. She is a stubborn lady. I aspire to have a cause so meaningful to me as her religion is to her that I do not care what others think of me carrying it out.
This poem also reminded me of my great grandmother; my Nanny. She was a tiny, lively, stubborn woman, and although she may not have washed her feet in a sink, she would have done anything she wanted to do no matter what others thought. She had lived a long enough life to stop caring about society’s standards and expectations. I think living without the pressures and expectations of society is a beautiful thing, and judging by the actions of the grandmother in the poem and my great grandmother, we may be able to look to them for wisdom and as inspiration to do so.
