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My
mother taught me at an early age that there were some things
that I could do nothing about. Things like the weather.
She also taught me that I could do something about one thing
that really matters. The one thing that determines what
kind of life I will have. The one thing that determines
whether I will be happy or not. That one thing is my
attitude - and it is completely up to me.
I grew
up on a farm and we spent time each year walking bean rows.
The job of walking bean rows consisted of walking down a
long row of beans, bending over and pulling weeds out of the
ground. The weeds lessened the bean crop and had to go for
the good of our entire family. We'd do this in the hot sun
until a heat stroke would threaten. Dehydration was a
problem. We would sweat profusely with only a bit of water
kept in an old, battered Stanley thermos to quench our
thirst. After so many hours of this pure enjoyment, I could
feel the makings of a headache and my back would begin to
ache and stiffen. My mother, with her good attitude, told
me that walking the bean rows was the world's most perfect
job.
I, on
the other hand, young and with a less than inspiring
attitude, found walking the bean rows to be a dreadful
experience. There is an old German proverb that says that
weeds never die. I believe those old Germans were right. I
once asked her how she could possibly think that walking the
bean rows could be a rewarding job. Without pausing to
reflect, my mother responded by telling me that walking the
beans was the perfect job because when you got to the end of
the row, you could turn around, look back and immediately
see what you had accomplished. She went on to tell me that
I would have few jobs in life that would offer me such a
wonderful opportunity. My mother was right, as mothers
usually are.
She
taught me that the only difference between work and fun is
attitude. We had clean bean fields, but a weedy lawn. Our
lawn was colored with white clover, dandelions, plantain and
Creeping Charlie. If a weed is a plant growing where it
shouldn't be, there were more of what most people would call
weeds in our yard than there was grass. The unkempt lawn
bothered my mother not one bit. She had the attitude that
the best thing to do with dandelions was to enjoy them. As
a small boy, I quickly discovered that one of the easiest
ways to make my mother's day was to bring her a bouquet of
the yellow flowers. She would take the dandelions with a
smile and a tear. She would put the flowers in a vase and
praise their beauty until they wilted.
My
mother's teachings also covered interactions with other
people. Her instructions to me were simple - be nice. It
was an easy thing to do. She told me to say hello to
everyone. You didn't have to know them. Just say 'hello'
and say it with a smile. My mother often quoted a neighbor
who was famous for saying, "Whether the skies are blue or
cloudy, everyone deserves a great big howdy." It may sound
corny, but it was great advice. To this day, I
have
weed-free beans, a weedy lawn and a smiling greeting for
everyone I meet.
These
three things can get me through the toughest of days.
Thanks, Mom.
?ŠAl
Batt 2001
71622 325 St.
Hartland, MN 56042
SnoEowl @ aol.com
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