Writing is another passion of mine, so when presented with the opportunity to write blog posts for Terralever on design, I did a happy dance. Okay, so maybe that dance was in my mind. But, when you love something and are as passionate as I am, work just doesn't seem like work. Even if I am fine-tuning my articles at 2am (since I always seem to choose timely subjects), I am still chipper as can be. Plus, like any seasoned artist and writer, I thrive on deadlines.
You see, my Grandpa, Bob Amento, was a prolific writer, blogger and all-around wordsmith. He chose to follow a stable, lucrative career path in sales rather than journalism, but his love of writing wry snippets and family anecdotes never left his heart. He returned to writing in his retirement not merely as a hobby, but as a lifeline. And when a debilitating skin disease prohibited him from golfing, he turned to writing as a way to exercise his mind since his body was no longer capable.
Aside from writing anecdotes about his childhood and family, my Grandpa wrote a copious amount of op-eds for the Arizona Republic, most of which were sardonic in nature. He was eventually granted a coveted spot on AZ Central as a guest blogger. His repertoire consisted mainly of politics, business and finance. Readers either loved or abhorred his left-wing perspective on nonsensical national or state politics (especially living in an overly-saturated, red state of Arizona).
I fondly remember helping my grandpa with his technological learning curve. (How many 80-somethings use computers as part of their daily life?) As I was helping him upload a new profile picture to his blog, he proudly showed me the snide comments on his blog post. Grandpa refused to encourage such comments by responding. He wasn't there to fire up a debate with conservatives, but rather state his opinions unabashedly. Most people allow other's comments, opinions and statements to ruffle their feathers, but not Bob Amento. I think we can all learn a great deal from him especially in the age of social media and the ruthless comments that pervade these sites. If only we took after Bob and adhered to Thumper's Rule: If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all. Now, my Grandpa would not want this message misconstrued as not speaking your mind. Rather, if your opinion is different from your neighbors, agree to disagree gracefully rather than dragging their opinion through the dirt. I truly admire Grandpa for his unwavering stance on politics, business and finance. No face hiding behind a computer screen was going to affect him adversely.
As a writer, I openly admit my ability to digress. But as a gracious person, I must give credit where credit is due. If not for my Grandpa (and my mother who also passed the writing gene to me), I would not be sitting here writing. I may have grown up winning poetry contests and taking college writing assignments much too seriously, but the ability to incorporate writing into my practical career path of graphic design has been a distinct honor and pleasure. The chance to write something as public as a blog post has been an exciting milestone in my evolution as a writer (and quite frankly the best way to honor my late Grandpa). After each of the two blog articles I wrote for Terralever's blog went live, I proudly printed each article out to present to Grandpa (first writing about branding and then on web design). Because, let's face it. Sending him an email (yes, he had an AOL account) seemed much too impersonal. Allowing my Grandpa to see the fruits of my love for writing gave me a deep sense of pride and accomplishment.
As I write this, I am grateful for the opportunity to share my past blog articles with him. He passed away recently on January 5, 2015 at the age of 93. I come to the realization that I will not be able to show him this blog post, and a raw feeling of loss washes over me. But that feeling is transitory as I know there are computers in heaven. I picture Grandpa up in the vast, blue skies, spry as ever, reading this post and smiling from ear to ear. I know he is writing once again and making jokes about heaven.
I leave you with one of Grandpa's many quips:
Two things I know for sure:
- I will always write. I will always use my gift wisely, never to harm but to spread love.
- I will always make art. Not to create art for the sake of creating but to move people, to make the world not only a more beautiful place, but a better place.
My legacy will be tangible and intangible as my gifts can be both seen and felt. I lead with my heart and Grandpa, you've left some pretty big foot prints.