The Gray Lady says...

The Gray Lady is an optimist. How can an 80 year old woman born in 1885, whose skin was accidentally turned gray as an infant, even be an optimist? She shares this quote with young Ann.

“…grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

That is how the Gray Lady lives her life. Those words will always be relevant to people of any age. How she achieves serenity despite her challenges may be because she is kind, compassionate, and loving to all. If we all choose kindness over anger, that is a step toward changing the things we can.

In the novel, the Gray Lady says,

“Let me show you some of my treasures. Although I am morally opposed to materialism, it hasn’t stopped me from collecting arts and crafts from all over the world.”

I wonder what the Gray Lady would think about the rampant materialism of today? How much is enough? How many billions does someone need? Her answer would be “zero.” Over her life, she supported artists and craftspeople who made a direct living from their work. She bought to help and was careful with her money. She still drove a 1904 electric car in 1965. She was eco-friendly before the term was invented. We now have the phrase: reduce, reuse, recycle. Keeping her car going all those years was definitely supporting the reuse concept!

The Gray Lady says,

“…it’s no use worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet.”

At age 80, she has rid herself of worry and anxiety. What is her secret? She trusts herself. She knows she has always been able to deal with and bounce back from every hardship and challenge, and trusts that she always will. No matter what, she trusts that she will be okay.

She learned to like and love herself. It took a lot of interior work to be able to love herself as she was, but it enabled her to better love others. She was able to share kindness and humor and wonder and wisdom with a lonely, birth-marked girl and two other outcasts who were ostracized because of their appearance. Her optimism and positivity are gifts she loves to give.