Growing up I listened to my elders (most of the time) with their wise advice – clean your plate, make up your bed, wash behind your ears, the apple don’t fall too far from the tree … you get the picture. When I got older, I realized that a lot of the wisdom I listened to and lived by were learned by the time I was in kindergarten. I was reminded of more wisdom I learned from some old farmers in my life. For instance …
- Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
- Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
- Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
- A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
- Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.
- Meanness doesn’t just happen overnight.
- Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
- Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
- It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
- You cannot unsay a cruel word.
- Every path has a few puddles.
- When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
- The best sermons are lived, not preached.
- Most of the stuff people worry about, aren’t going to happen anyway.
- Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
- Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
- Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
- Don’t interfere with something’ that doesn’t bother you anymore.
- Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
- If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.
- Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
- The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every morning.
- Always drink upstream from the herd.
- Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
- Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in.
- If you get to thinking’ you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around.
- Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and enjoy the ride.
These are wise words put in simple terms that many of us can relate to. There’s many more words of wisdom found in the Holy Scripture. Bathe in the Word daily and soak it in. And, as my old farmer would say — enjoy the ride.
Psalm 119:9-11: “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Tagged: farm life, words matter
