In this heartfelt monologue, the speaker announces the passing of his 103‑year‑old grandmother, Frances Thomas Patterson (nicknamed Gigi), whom he visited shortly before her death. He celebrates her life as a strong, independent woman and uses her century‑spanning lifespan to illustrate the massive societal, technological, and cultural shifts that occurred from 1919 to the present. The speaker reflects on what we become attached to—politics, systems, health—and emphasizes that, amid constant change, Gigi’s unwavering faith and spirituality served as a foundational “basement” that provided strength and perspective. He extends this metaphor to suggest that each person needs a similar enduring foundation or purpose to navigate life’s evolving circumstances, allowing growth while staying grounded. The message concludes as a “moment of yes,” a celebratory affirmation of Gigi’s legacy and an encouragement to embrace change with a solid inner core.
Chapters
Good morning, everyone. Here is your moment of yes for Thursday, uh, July 21st. I know I missed yesterday because yesterday, for the first time in 103 years, uh, the sun rose without Frances Thomas Patterson. Um, my grandmother Gigi passed away yesterday morning. At the rockin' age of 103. Uh, and super grateful, super grateful that, um, Hollister and I were able to finally get down and see her, um, a few days ago. Uh, really a day and a half before she passed, spent a little bit of time with her. Um, and most family got a chance to, to see her before she passed. Um, and so, um, sad, uh, and at the same time just a great celebration. of a great woman, of a strong woman, of an independent woman. And I was just thinking of from 1919 to today, just a life, a lifetime, that specific lifetime, and the change of every possible thing that we can imagine that we experience on a day-to-day basis, right? From health to technology to culture to politics to to world geography, to everything that changed in that lifetime. And I got thinking about just that healthy reminder of what are we attached to, right? What systems are we attached to? What politics are we attached to? What— and because we know it's all constantly changing and evolving, everything is constantly changing and evolving. And I would say that The constant for Gigi in, in her life was her faith, right? It was her spirituality. It was her faith. It was that rock. It was the basement. It was the foundation. And as everything in our— excuse me— and as everything in our life is constantly changing, growing, evolving, dying, reforming around us, right? We all have basements. We all have foundations. Things that we come back to. As a source of strength and a source of comfort, but as a— not from the standpoint of so that we can ignore or deny all the other stuff, but a place where we go to get our perspective, to get our focus, so that we can also continue to grow and evolve as well. I think that's the important part, is that we too are a living system, so we're constantly growing and evolving. So whatever our basement, whatever our foundation, whatever our purpose is, even though that, that, that source is sort of changeless, it allows us to grow and evolve with the changing times. So that's my message for today. That's the moment of yes. And more than anything, it's a celebration of Gigi. So there you have it. That's your special edition Gigi moment of yes. Love you, Gigi. Have a great day, everybody.
