When our daughter was in college, it never failed that every time she came home at the end of a semester she would spend at least a day lying on the sofa with a low grade fever. I attributed it to her body’s reaction to the stress of finals and assignments.
Last Saturday after my last full time day of work, I was felled both by a flare up of sciatica and a low grade fever that has lasted all this week. Hmm? Could daughter and I have similar reactions to stress? I think so. She probably inherited it from me.
Both our children teasingly blame me for their propensity to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. From their father they inherited flat feet. I have lumbar scoliosis like my maternal grandmother. So does one of my cousins. I did not inherit my father’s athleticism, but I did his musicality. Goodness only knows where I got A- blood type. I did not inherit my maternal grandmother’s ability to do complex math in her head. Our grandson seems to have that ability, and is proud to tell me that in Grade 1 he can do algebra in his head and is in an enrichment Math program. It is hard at times to know what is nurture and what is nature, but however our forebears hand things down to us, it can make our lives interesting.
What did you inherit or wish you had or hadn’t had inherited from your forebears? Ever read Running In The Family by Michael Ondaatje?
Trail Baboon 
The women on my mom’s side have a paralysis in our left eye called 6th nerve palsy. It means I can’t move my left eye right or left, resulting in strabismus when I turn my head to the left, or intentionally try to cross my eyes. We also have a tendency toward anxiety and depression. I could do without that. The palsy doesn’t bother me too much, but people look at me strangely when I cross only one eye.
The men on my dad’s side have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is a congenital heart defect that causes irregularity, or over-excitement, in the heart. I have no symptoms of this, but my dear youngest brother has had it all his life, and his son has it too. My nephew had a stent inserted at age 15 to help with atrial fibrillation. My brother has been in and out of A-fib since last May, and underwent another cardiac ablation in December. It helped a little, but not completely. We all inherited hypertension, heart problems, a tendency toward high cholesterol, and diabetes from my dad. I could do without those health problems.
I got my lumbar scoliosis from my mom’s side. My grandpa had it. Lately my back has been making crunching noises. I don’t know what that means. It hurts a little less, but crunches more.
Now the Michael Ondaatje book is on my list.
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Me too – something by Michael Ondaatje!
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Rise and Express Your Genes, Baboons,
The tendency to have arthritis in my joints comes from my maternal grandfather’s side. Grandpa was often grumpy in his old age. I now completely understand his irritability. His hips hurt! Grandpa was also a farmer who could grow anything. I have that as well, just without a farm so the garden has to do.
On Dad’s side, I have my grandfather’s hair, unfortunately. I have an old picture his mother had taken with the blonde curls in the back of his head featured in a mirror. Mine were the same. But in old age our hair became unruly dark hair that won’t do anything. I also have much of the personality and character of that side, thank goodness.
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I got my mom’s hands (including some arthritis beginning) and my dad’s feet/ankles (the only slim part of me). I did get my mom’s musical ear, and my dad’s interest in what makes people tick.
Gotta run, more later hopefully.
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One of my grandfathers died in his 50s. Another, and one of my grandmothers, died in their 60s. So far I haven’t inherited their tendency to die. I don’t know much about their health or infirmities otherwise.
My parents were fine people but I feel so unlike them I might as well have been adopted. They rarely discussed health issues, which might be the thing we have in common.
I read some Ondaatje back in the early ‘80s but not Running in the Family.
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Would Ondaatje be classified as World Fiction?
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Since The English Patient took place in Italy, and the titular patient was actually Hungarian, that would probably qualify.
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And Ondaatje himself is Canadian, born in Sri Lanka.
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It is sometimes classified as magical realism.
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Running In The Family is, I mean.
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Snort
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My parents and my two grandmothers lived into their 90’s. I hope I can, too.
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Ditto…. Nonny turns 93 in July… still living independently!
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From dad’s side: small hands and feet (can barely reach an octave on the piano and can wear a size 3 children’s shoe). My little toes are kinda curved on the outside which results in corns (sometimes very painful).
From mom’s side: TMJ syndrome (more of a nuisance than a problem), her hair (stick straight, fine textured, and thin), though one good thing about the hair is that I have no gray hair yet. Mom didn’t get any until her 90s. Another good inheritance from mom’s side is dark brown eyes. My height (or lack of) and small frame are definitely from my maternal grandmother.
I guess I inherited my dad’s tendency to arrive early rather than late. I do have his short temper – though always short lived. My desire for organization probably comes from his side, too.
I don’t know where the musical talent comes from. Mom and dad could sing but otherwise weren’t musical. One of my maternal aunts played piano well so I guess it comes from that side of the family.
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I also have hardly any gray, must be from my mom’s side, because she was very late going gray/blond…
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My gray is pretty white, which comes from my Dad. My stubborness comes from my mom (who adamantly says she is not stubborn).
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Today is Day 6 of a fever of 99. This is getting tiresome.
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Husband took his temperature and it was 98, so I know I am not using a broken thermometer
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I am glad to have received my Dad’s sense of humor. I’d blame him for my fat gut but that’s more of a 50/50 thing. No. I must take responsibility. 55% me.
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For many theater people, once that show closes — or opens, depends on your position with the show, we get sick. We were persevering to get to that point, then we crash.
I am a nice mix of both my parents. Got Mom’s musical and temperment. (although I think I had Dads for the first 20 years) but definately moms now. Mom’s mom had anxiety and mom always said she didn’t want to be that way and she fought it as long as she could. Eventually it caught up to her about age 96… and she hates it when we tell her that she’s acting like her mother. Haha-
I got dad’s bad feet. But at least no bunions. Daughter got the bunions. And I have some of dads touch for fixing things.
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And we’re pleased both our kids inherited our sarcasm. Or maybe that’s nurture…?
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I looked up Running in the Family. “Fictionalized memoir”? That’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one…. is there a shelf at the library for fictionalized memoir?
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Magic realism!
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The Master and Margarita is magic realism, as 100 Years of Solitude.
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