Melissa P.......
College Writing I (24-101)
Dr. D...... D......
11-19-01
Shaping a Person
Almost everyone has a role model in life. Whether it is a cartoon
superhero, a movie star, or a real life person, just about everyone has
someone that they look up to and aspire to be like. I have had different
role models throughout my life, but I feel that my Italian grandmother,
Katherine Aloi, has had the most influence in shaping me into the person
I am today.
My nana (the Italian word for “grandmother”) has six children and fifteen
grandchildren. I remember a time when we all would meet at her house
every Sunday for spaghetti dinner. At the time, I did not look forward
to Sundays because I did not like spaghetti. I can remember arguing
with my mother that she should let me pack a dinner to take with me.
I also remember sitting in a Winnie the Pooh high chair – pouting because
my parents would not let me out of the chair until I had finished my dinner
– and having my Aunts eat my food for me so that I would be allowed to
play with the rest of the cousins. These are some of my most cherished
memories. Spaghetti Sundays taught me the importance of family and
that you should cherish every moment spent with the people you love.
Now that my cousins and I are older, we only meet at Nana’s house on the
major holidays such as New Years Eve, New Years Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas
Day, and Thanksgiving. Christmas is a time where we have to be especially
careful of what we say and do around Nana, because anything we say that
we like, or even look at approvingly, she will give us. Actually,
she does this all year round, but during the holidays she has a better
excuse to do it and get away with it. I have a bright pink tube of
lipstick she gave me when I was little because I tried it on in the bathroom
while hiding from the spaghetti dinner and told her I liked it. My
mother would not let me wear it out in public in a million years, but Nana
knew I liked it so she gave it to me. I also have a silver jacket
of hers. I made the mistake of telling her I liked it, when the truth
is that I liked the way it looked on her. I will probably never wear
it, but she insisted that I keep it because I liked it.
Every time we go shopping together she buys me clothes, which is kind of
nice, but I feel bad that she spends so much money on my sisters, cousins,
and me. I know it makes her happy, though. Nana taught me that
giving is more rewarding than receiving. I would honestly rather
give a gift than receive one. Even in bad situations, my grandmother’s
generosity manages to help out. For example, when one of my cousins
got caught shoplifting, Nana said, “Didn’t you have enough money?
You know you can come to me if you need anything. Here, take this,”
and handed him a twenty-dollar bill.
When my cousin told me the story of what happened the next day in school,
he said that his biggest regret is that Nana found out and that her offering
him that money was enough to make him never feel the urge to steal again.
Not only did this teach me the power of generosity, but it also taught
me that patience, understanding, and kindheartedness can erase the bad
in people. Much like my grandmother, I have the strong desire to
help others. I often find myself doing things for other people when
I have a whole list of my own things that need to get done, but it feels
good to help other people. Another thing that my grandmother and
I have in common is that we both love to watch movies.
Whenever Nana comes over, we always find a movie to watch before eating
dinner. We usually watch a movie that has something to do with Italians,
because my grandmother is very proud of her heritage. One time we
decided to watch Mickey Blue Eyes, starring Hugh Grant, because it is about
a man wishing to marry into an Italian family. At the end of the movie,
as the credits were rolling, they played Italian music, and as usual, Nana
got up and started dancing around the room. She loves to sing and
dance with us. This reminds me that at some points in life, you have
to simply relax and have fun. Life is a delicate balance of work
and play. Nana taught me that having fun is just as important and
healthy as the “stiff,” more serious parts of life where you have to look
your best and be professional.
Nana never leaves the house without looking her best. Every shiny
curl of her hair is always in place, her clothes are always clean and ironed,
and her nails are always polished. She feels that a woman should
always look her best. My mother is completely the opposite, so this
leads to quite a few arguments. Most of them deal with the fact that
my mother refuses to dye her hair. She says that God gave her hair
the color gray, so he must like it. My grandma says, “You’re such
a beautiful woman! Imagine how much younger you would look if you
would only dye that head of yours.” Both my mom and my grandmother
have influenced me in this situation. For the most part, I do not
care what I look like. However, Nana has taught me that at times,
it is important to look presentable.
My pap died when I was about five years old, and ever since then, my grandma
has been the glue that holds our family together. She is a very strong
woman, and I admire her for being able to move on with her life after his
death. I can only hope that if I am in the same situation years down
the road, I will be able to handle it as well as she has. I wish
I had her strength, but I can barely contain myself when a household pet
dies. I know she still loves my Pap, but she knows that he would
want her to enjoy the rest of her life even though he can not be with her.
It takes a lot of courage to live alone after having someone there with
you for so many years, and I admire her for the way she handles everything.
Most people, when they reach a certain age, do nothing but lay around all
day and watch television. Sometimes they have people taking care
of them – cleaning, cooking, helping them up the stairs when it is time
for bed. They complain about the weather, the news, kids, and anything
else they can think of to be bitter about. My nana is not like that
at all, and perhaps that is my favorite thing about her. When I am
her age, I hope that I can be as cool as she is.
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