2018 October FROM MY PERSPECTIVE
When you hear someone or others judging you, it’s not about
you. It’s about them: their
insecurities, limitation, needs, bad memories, and feelings of inadequacies
they felt a long time ago.
As a mom, my children would come to me with all sorts of
“boo-boos”. They were hugged, a band-aid
was applied, and a kiss to make the “boo-boo” feel better. Sometimes I’d have to remind them they’d been
told not to do what they’d done to get the “boo-boo”. When I taught high school, I had a student
come to me with a paper cut. He asked
for a band-aid, which I applied. I asked
him if he wanted a smiley face drawn on it.
He smiled and said, “Please.”
Then, without thinking, I asked him if he wanted me to kiss it and make
it better. He declined that, but the
smile on his face got bigger. I think
I’ll always “Mom” someone, even to another’s child.
There was a lot of
teaching going on at the dinner table, when I was growing up. Daddy would throw
out words to look up in the dictionary; Mother would talk about her childhood
and those experiences living on a farm. Then when we were much older, my
brother got a job in the communicable diseases laboratory at a local hospital.
It was while eating mashed potatoes and peas, he told about a specimen he'd
dissected and examined that day. I tried selective hearing at his voice
tone after that.
It's interesting to
sit back and let your thoughts go when you hear a certain song. It happened to
me recently. I won't say which song it
is, but I saw in my memory exactly where I was and who was with me. I saw our
smiles, heard our talk, even felt a touch. When I was young and so in
love.....you know that love which brings the thought, "This will last forever!!"
He went his way; I went mine, but the memories were brought to a place, a
person, a smile, and moist eyes. When I was young and so in love.....
This is my favorite
month. It is so colorful, air
temperatures are just right, bugs are leaving, and I’m comfortable….it’s not
too hot and it’s not too cold----sort of like the porridge Goldilocks ate.
Many of you know about my enjoyment of words and their
origins (etymology). I have found some which are common to most of us and
would like to share and enlighten you....I was. (Thanks "Daily
Writing Tips" for helping me discover these.)
bumblebee: This word stems from the Middle
English word humbul-be, but by association with bombeln,
meaning “boom” or “buzz,” the initial sound changed. caterpillar:
The word for a butterfly or moth larva stems from the Old French word catepelose
(“hairy cat”); the alteration of the third and fourth syllables to -pillar
(from Middle English piller, meaning “plunderer”) may have developed
from the notion of its destructive effect on plants. This is probably
where the "yellow god" of Peoria, IL got its name.) cockroach:
This word is derived from the Spanish term cucaracha and employs two
words that, when combined, sound similar to the original word. Is the
song stuck in your head, now? crawfish/crayfish:
Although these are variations of a name for an aquatic animal, the second
syllable in each is not equivalent to the word fish; the entire word,
ultimately from a Germanic language, stems from the Anglo-French term creveis
by way of the Middle English word crevis and is related to crab
(and perhaps to carve). Hmmm, in the South, where I lived most
of my early years, it was "crawdad" or "crawfish". greyhound
(my favorite dog): The first syllable of this word does not refer to
the dog’s color; it is from the Old English term grieg, referring to a
female dog. mongoose: The animal’s name stems from mamgusa
in Prakrit, an Indic language. (It has nothing to do with geese, so the plural
is mongooses. [Well, that clears that up, a lot.]) polecat:
The first syllable of this name for a mammal in the weasel family (also an
alternative name for the polecat’s relative, the skunk) is derived from the
French term poul (the base of poultry), from its barnyard
depredations. "Country kitty" comes to mind, too. sockeye:
The name for a type of salmon does not refer to its eyes; it originates from an
attempt to pronounce a Native American word for the fish. white
rhinoceros: White, in the name of this animal, is not a
reference to its color; it stems from the Afrikaans adjective weit
(pronounced "VY*T"), meaning “wide,” a description that distinguishes
its wide upper lip from the pointed lip of the black rhinoceros.
I grew up in the South, not the rural, but close to it. I went to college in the South, West Virginia
to be exact. The small town had little
road-side gas stations. It was there I
learned the difference between “fillin’ stations” and “gas stations”. Fillin’
stations : men sitting on a
porch chatting about everything; customers moseying about inside, but not in a
hurry; maybe some fresh baked something for sale or give away, samples
provided; stay-on-your-face-a while smiles galore; locals called by their first
names; some penny candy or priced so a child can buy one piece or 3 for a bit
more; more smiles galore; wrinkled newspaper with articles circled and puzzles
worked sitting on the counter for all to read; a bit of dust everywhere, but
not a worry; you can pay at the pump, but customers would rather go inside to
pay and chat; "Y'all come back soon, Buddy" told to the customer, if
you're not known, "See ya soon {first name included}", if they know
you.
Gas stations: hurrying
customers; all edible products wrapped in brand name cellophane; quick smiles
and rushing out the door; rush, rush, rush; more paying at the pump; not much
dust; not many smiles, either; "Thanks" mentioned, but no first name
follows; not much for a child to buy for a penny or a bit more; newspapers for
sale in a sealed stand that yells, “Pay before you read; We don’t trust you.”
A lesson in life from
an old tale: A man starts down a mountain and along the way a
colorful snake appears. The snake says, "Please pick me up and hold me
close to your warm body. I am almost frozen." The man says, "I don't
want to because you are a poisonous snake and you'll bite me." The snake
assures the man he won't bite him. The
man picks up the snake, holds it against his body, and walks to the bottom of
the mountain. The snake thaws out and when the man opens his coat, the snake
bites him. The man screams, "You said you'd not bite me if I helped you.
Now you did!!" The snake coldly looks at him and says, "You knew what
I was when you picked me up," and slithers away. Some people are like this, too…think about
it.
We never really grow up -- we only learn how to act in public until someone
brings out the bubble wrap. Knowledge is
knowing a tomato is a fruit and so is pumpkin. Wisdom is not putting them in a
fruit salad. I don't really want to hurt
those who hurt me, but it is still on my mind and keeps me awake at times. If you can’t be totally honest, at least be
completely vague.The word “homeowner” has the word “meow” in it. Good luck trying to pronounce it correctly ever again. I hear you already, “Ho-meow-ner”. You’re welcome.
Bean is a four-letter word; it is versatile. It can mean a person’s head (use your bean!), money (he’s a bean counter.), secret (spill the beans), the least amount (he doesn’t know beans from bupkis.), nonsense (he is full of beans if he thinks Yankees can win this year), energy (she’s still full of beans at 102). Oh, it is also the word for some green vegetables or legume (finish your beans!).
“It takes a minute to find a special person; an hour to appreciate them; a day to love them; but, then an entire life to forget them.” To all my friends and loved ones, I wish you enough love, happiness, smiles, laughter, hellos, moments of peace, hope, faith, and memories to take you through the tough times.
Connor, age 7, was arguing with Charles, his step-father, about Charles taking away what the kids have: the PlayStation, the pokemon cards, the cars , etc. Connor said, "It's OUT RIGHT to have our stuff. You're violating our rights!" So, the mini-lawyer was told he was WRONG and those items were a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT, and maybe he needs to study a little more before he gets legal-eagle again. He tells his mother, "RIGHTS ARE IN THE CONSTITUTION!" She suggested he go to bed and study more tomorrow.
Brenduhh rushed over to tell me about going to her first football game with her sweetie. “I really liked it and seeing all those guys with big muscles, the fast running, and tight pants. But, there was one part I thought was kind of stupid. At the beginning, there was a flipping of a coin to see who’d play first, I think. During the game all I heard was, ‘Get the quarterback!!’ Yeesh, it was only $.25. Why’d they get all excited about a measly quarter?”
Peace, y’all………….Trudy
