My father is a 75 year old farmer
who's tougher than shoe leather
and meaner than a junkyard dog
but he's my Dad and I love him...
most of the time!
He reminds me a little of John Wayne...
talks low, talks slow
and he don't say too much
but what he does say has substance.
The other day I was complaining to him and he said “When you’re in a hole the best thing to do is stop diggin”! Huh?! Sometimes you gotta stop and think about it (which is probably the point), and it makes perfect sense. These words of wisdom from an old cowboy continue to provide assistance in every area of my life, including my career in preneed funeral arrangements.
I got to thinking about all the sayings he’s blurted out over the years. A quick Google search for ‘cowboy wisdom’ and low and behold...here’s everything my father ever taught me (minus a few I can’t repeat)! I share with you a few of my favorites, in the hope they’ll help you with your daily preneed work.
- Don’t name a pig you plan to eat.
- Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.
- Life is simpler when you plough around the stump.
- A bumble bee is faster than a John Deere tractor.
- Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
- Meanness don’t happen overnight.
- Forgive your enemies. It messes with their heads.
- Don’t corner something meaner than you.
- It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
- Every path has some puddles.
- When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
- The best sermons are lived, not preached.
- Don’t squat with your spurs on.
- Don’t judge people by their relatives.
- Don’t interfere with something that ain’t botherin’ you none.
- Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
- It’s better to be a has-been than a never-was.
- The easiest way to eat crow is while it’s still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.
- If it don’t seem like it’s worth the effort, it probably ain’t.
- It don’t take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
- If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
- Don’t worry about bitin’ off more’n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger’n you think.
- Always drink upstream from the herd.
- If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there with ya.
- Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
- You can’t tell how good a man or a watermelon is ’till they get thumped.
- Never miss a good chance to shut up.
- Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. -John Wayne
And, finally…
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
