Wellness Journal Week 2 

This is the second week in which I publish this wellness journal post. Last week I was finding inspiration in the style of older generations and care for their physical aspect. However, today I will talk about in the wellness journal about what inspired me to continue to change my life by prioritizing my own well-being, with the inspiration also coming from the older generation. 

Last Monday I was at my grandmother’s house. I was enjoying the garden, the closeness to nature, the silence around, the animals enthusiastically coming towards me. Being in the garden gave me energy, inspiration, motivation, and creativity. Nature is our planet’s gift every spring and it is amazing to observe its positive effects on the mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Comfort perspective across generations

However, this post will not be about nature’s benefits or about the pros and cons of living in the countryside. Environmental wellbeing is not the focus of this post; instead, I will discuss how I believe society has evolved in recent years and why this is a positive development. 

Talking with my grandmother about anything non-tasks related and very concrete is increasingly difficult each year. She grew up in a time and society where how others perceive your actions is the most important thing.

If everyone in the village is preparing one hundred gift packages to give during the Easter church celebration, it doesn’t matter that only half that number is prepared in nearby villages. If she goes to the shop, even if it rains, she does not accept to take her with my car. She always takes the bicycle because she doesn’t want people in the village to talk about how comfortable she is or how she can no longer walk in the pouring rain.

Topics such as monthly periods, job changes, children, and family planning are taboo for her. And especially if a male is present. And technology is something she does not understand at all, so she does not use it. Or she uses it in the wrong way.

However, what I hate the most is the fact that she sees comfort as something bad. My parents created a fully equipped kitchen for her. Yet, she still washes dishes outside at the garden fountain with freezing cold water. She hadn’t started not even once the oven and the microwave oven. They are not even plugged in, yet they are brand new. She eats outside, on a wooden table that is very small and close to the ground. Meanwhile, the tall new table in the kitchen remains unused. She refuses anything that will make her life easier if she feels she doesn’t need it. 

I am grateful for the way society changed. I am grateful for the fact that freedom of speech exists. For the fact that we put value on comfort and use technology for making our lives easier. For the increased diversity, tolerance, and cultural awareness of our society. 

To me, it would be impossible to live in a world where the only reason for doing something is to avoid negative gossip from neighbors. Or a world where I would have to sacrifice my wellbeing and freedom of speech because it is the societal norm. 

Living with my grandmother for a few days each year is a reminder of how important nature is for our wellbeing and how women’s empowerment has contributed to the amazing societal evolution of recent centuries. It is my reminder to be thankful about all things we have every day and about the fact that I was not born a few centuries ago, when women’s rights were non-existent. And I hope you will find inspiration in this wellness journal too.

Love, 

Cosmina

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