My grandpa had extensive knowledge on history and Native American stories and culture. He absolutely adored their jewelry, especially turquoise, and going to the reserves to learn more. The only channel he watched was the History Channel, and felt it was necessary to tell me about these stories. One story I distinctly remember is the Man in the Maze. The story is about a man and a maze, but the maze represents life. It depicts that a person is destined to find the right paths …show more content…
to reach the end of the maze, or the end of life. Supposedly, when a person has some form of the Man in the Maze in your life, they will accomplish tremendous goal. It should help them to construct exceptional choices. I never believed it, because to me it was just another Native American story my grandpa told me, but to him, it was something we could bond over, so I listened.
My family and I flew out every summer to visit my grandparents in Arizona.
As the end of our trip approached, I was packing my clothes, and my grandpa gave me something; A Man in the Maze necklace. I remembered how he explained to me about this story before, and he asked me to always keep it with me, for it would help me in life. I loved it and would cherish it forever, but my parents had to have a very adult-like conversation with me. He had been sick for a while now, and it wasn’t looking good. I pushed off what my parents had expressed about how I need to prepare myself, and I hoped they were wrong, but I was fully aware it might be that last time I saw him. Current day self wants to tell the younger me to listen to those stories, as they would one day come to an end.
6th grade was a difficult year, because I lost my special friend. The Man in the Maze has a totally different purpose to me now. The necklace my grandfather gave me has a new pendants on it, my grandpa’s fingerprint. It’s my favorite necklace and will always be. I believe that by having them right next to each other, my grandpa can help me choose the right paths in life when I come to a crossroad in my
life.