A No-BS Guide to Living Well—Straight from My 92-Year-Old Grandma
How to Live Well, Laugh Often, and Not Take Anyone’s Crap—According to my Nana
In March, I visited my 92-year-old Grandma Mary in Sonoma, California—one of my favorite things to do. Every time I’m with her, I feel two things at once: deeply loved and enormously inspired.
She’s sharp. She’s funny. She’s fully with it. No major health issues, no medications, no drama. Just a weekly jazz club, a green blouse (her signature color), and whatever she damn well feels like eating that night.
Grandma Mary is my north star. She reminds me to slow down, to be present, to never let work or burnout define my life. Her life is proof that longevity isn’t built from overwork and hustle culture—it’s built from laughter, community, movement, purpose, and a refusal to take other people’s nonsense too seriously.
When I visit her, I take notes. Because while I’m soaking in her love, I’m also paying attention. She lives in her truth. And she’s got the kind of life advice that doesn’t need fluff or framing—it just lands.
So, in honor of her magnetic spirit and the clarity she brings to mine, here are some of her top pieces of wisdom—Mary-style: real, honest, and entirely unbothered.
1. Forgive and move on.
She is the OG queen of the “let them” theory. Pre- Mel Robbins! Holding grudges? Not worth the energy. Someone lets you down? That’s their problem. People will do what they do—your peace is yours to protect.
Forgive and keep it moving.
2. Don’t Eat Junk Food.
Not revolutionary advice, but she has a point. She eats whole foods, cooks nearly everything, and doesn’t deprive herself—she just doesn’t eat crap. And here she is at 92, looking like she has another 30 years left in her…on zero meds!
3. Laugh. Often.
Joy is a necessity, not an afterthought. Find it. Protect it. Live in it as much as possible.
4. Always Have A Dog.
Loyalty. Companionship. A reason to get outside and move. According to Grandma Mary, life is simply better with a dog (and I whole heartedly agree)
5. Accept People For Who They Are—Even If You Don’t Agree.
This one stuck with me. She believes that accepting people for who they are is more important than shaping them into what you expected them to be. “Madison, you don’t have to be best friends with them—especially with a Republican.” (lol!)
Accept them for who they are, save your energy, skip the headache.
She’s right.
6. Know That Most People are Idiots, and That’s Okay.
She doesn’t mean it harshly — it’s more of a spiritual surrender.
Lower your expectations and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
7. Never Wear Sweatpants, Shorts or Jeans to do Anything Important…. But Especially if it’s “adult".
In Grandma Mary’s world, jeans are for gardening, not grown-up life. Dinners, interviews, church, anything that requires respect: Dress like you care. She’s never been seen in leggings, and Bermuda shorts at church? Don’t even say those words around her.
8. Dress For The Moment, Daily.
She doesn’t believe in “saving” outfits for the right occasion. Every day is an occasion. Wear the dress. Put on the lipstick. Life is happening now.
9. Just Start.
She started running races and half marathons at 40. Age is just a number to start something new.
10. Join clubs, Keep community.
Grandma Mary is a social butterfly. Jazz club? She’s there. Women’s club? You bet. Sons of Italy Club? Not sure what that is, but she’s in it! She’s constantly meeting new people, learning new things, and keeping a sense of purpose. “You can’t sit at home and wait for life to come to you,” she says. Go out and find it.
11. Keep Young Friends.
“You’ll stay young even when you’re old.” Grandma Mary says surrounding yourself with younger people keeps you tapped into the world, engaged, and open to change.
12. Believe That The World Is a Good Place. Despite it All.
Look, the world can be a mess. People argue over nonsense, the news is exhausting, and don’t even get me started on politics. But Grandma says you still have to believe it’s still good. Because it is. There’s music, and babies, and dogs, and sunsets…a lot of goodness to live for.
My god, I love her.
If I make it to 92 with zero health problems, a full social calendar, and friends 30 years younger, I’ll have lived a good life, Mary style. The only thing I’ll challenge, is I love to wear a good pair of jeans…even to dinner. Sorry Nana!
Here’s to living like Grandma Mary <3
