2018
November FROM MY PERSPECTIVE
Our calendar is
somewhat confusing. September means the
7th month; October means the 8th month; November means
the 9th month; and December means the 10th month. Julius and Augustus Caesar wanted months
named after them, so they took days from all the other months and made July and
August which are the 7th and 8th months.
Thanksgiving is
this month. I know you know that. It is one of my favorite times. It’s the lead up to it, the cooking, the
anticipated gathering with those you love and like, the eating of contributed
deliciousness, the football game(s), and the laughter and talking. Then there is the Friday afterwards where so
many go shopping scrambling for bargains and thinking of the next holiday. I like the day after Thanksgiving because it
is then that I KNOW I do NOT have to go out to shop and deal with all the rude,
obnoxious people who should be home cleaning up the post-apocalyptic disaster
in the kitchen.
I had someone
discouragingly tell me, “I just feel like throwing in the towel.” I listened to their lamentations, complaints,
groans, and such. When they were
finished, I told them, “Towels do not soak up the gold nuggets; they soak up
the water around those gold nuggets.” It
gave them something to think about.
Too much stress
literally causes the human brain to shut down and freeze temporarily. I know this to be absolutely true. I was given some bad news. Everything, every sound was surreal and I felt
as though I was in a very slow moving whirlpool. I could hear the person’s voice, but I could
NOT process the words. Nothing
registered not even all my other senses’ stimuli. So, if you’re having a lot of stress, try to
walk away for a while so you can unfreeze your brain.
Aint Daisy was on
her porch watching her world frolic before her.
She saw me and invited me to “come sit a spell”. I know those “spells”; from them comes some
wisdom to carry with me to get me through whatever. She rocked and hummed. “Ya got somethin’ on yer mind, sweetie?” she
crooned. I slowly, like peeling away the
skin of an onion, revealed my troubles; she listened lovingly. When I finished, she told me to go get 2
forks, 2 plates, a knife, and that freshly baked cherry pie on the kitchen
table, and bring it all to her. I did as
she asked and set it down in front of her.
“Now, go get me a large soup spoon and that bowl of homemade whipped
cream in the refrigerator.” I did just
that. She didn’t ask me if I wanted a
piece of pie or how big I wanted it. She
just cut a large triangle and put a huge glop of whipped cream on top, and then
handed it to me. She did the same for
herself. I told her, “Aint Daisy, I’m
going to have supper in half and hour.”
“T’aint no mind about that. You
need this. I’m sure you know that
“stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”.
Now, eat up, chile.” This lady
knows, oh how she knows.
There is no terror
in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. -Alfred Hitchcock, film-maker (13
Aug 1899-1980) How interesting the one
who made so many “terrors in the bang” movies would say this. But then again, remember the tube of
biscuits….those terror producing tubes.
Brenduhh came over
all worried. “Trudy, I bought this box
of spaghetti about 6 months ago. The
expiration date was last week. Now what
am I supposed to do with 2 pounds of uncooked spaghetti since it’s expired last
week? Do you suppose it will dry out if
I don’t cook it all tonight?” Did you
know you can exercise your eye muscles by rolling them?
It just takes
one-----one smile can start a friendship; one word can end a fight; one look
can save a relationship; one person can change your life; one prayer can begin
a miracle; one breath can start a life; one hug can heal a hurt; one song can
soothe your strife. It just takes one.
I was to see a new
doctor one time. My daughter, who had
worked in the area of his practice, told me he was very arrogant. I told her I’d previously dealt with doctors
like that. She said, “Bring on the
fangs!” I told her, “My fangs are in
place all the time. I just have to have
the “button” pushed.” I, also, told her
I’d curtailed another doctor’s arrogance with a “quasi-joke”, which was when I
asked an arrogant doctor, “Do you know the difference between God and a
doctor?” He replied he did not. I told him, “The difference is….God knows
He’s not a doctor.” Yep, I really and
truly said this to a doctor.
Brenduhh came over
with an idea for a mixed drink. “Trudy,
do you think if I mixed vodka, orange juice, and Phillip’s milk of magnesia it
would be called a “Phillip’s screwdriver” and relieve my tenseness and sour
stomach?” I told her, “I’m sure that’s
not all it would do.”
Words…..those
little things which can build or tear down; can heal or hurt; can bring a smile
or frown. They are so powerful. Be careful with them because once they are
said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.
It’s rather confusing when a person is called a “dumb butt” and a “smart ass” in the same conversation.
An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. Spanish proverb
Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion. -Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, philosopher (27 Aug 1770-1831)
“Rock bottom will teach you lessons that mountain tops never will.” I remember when I had very little money and 4 mouths to feed. Improvising with a pound of ground beef, 3 potatoes, a small onion, 1 cup of milk, some flour, spices, and a loaf of home made bread fed us all.
I hope you have had blessings for which to be thankful……………………………..Trudy
