Classic Advice

["Pop" Stran]

Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was
probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known.

Among his observations:

1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.


2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.


3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.


4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.


5. Always drink upstream from the herd.


6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.


7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.


8. There are three kinds of men:
The ones that learn by reading...
The few who learn by observation...
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.


9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.


11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.


12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.

The moral:
When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

["Pop" Stran]

If you lived as a child in the 50's, 60's or 70's, then you belong to a special and slowly fading generation of unique problem-solvers and inventive thinkers.
Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have...

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pickup truck from a little league game to the ice cream stand on a warm day was always a special treat.

Our baby cribs were covered with brightly colored lead-based paint.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.

We drank water from the garden hose...Never from a bottle.
Horrors.

We would spend hours building our go-carts (and kick-boards...the original form of skateboard) out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the sun set.

No one was able to reach us all day...or felt the need to.
No cell phones. Unthinkable.

We played dodgeball and most times the ball would really hurt.
Sometimes you won, and sometimes you lost...That was fair.
...remember Fair?

We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no law suits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us.
...Remember accidents?

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it...We learned to accept that sometimes life hurts, and pain is part of the growing process.

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda but we were never overweight...we were always outside playing.

We shared one grape soda with four friends, from one bottle...and no one died from this.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X Boxes, video games at all, 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends.

We went outside and found them.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell or just walked in and talked to them.
Imagine such a thing, without asking a parent, by ourselves, out there in the cold cruel world, without a guardian.
How did we do it?

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't, learned to deal with disappointment....

Some students did not do as well as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade.....Horrors.

Tests were not adjusted for any reason.
Our actions were our own.

Consequences were expected.
We had no one to hide behind...and didn't want to.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law, imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever.
The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them.

Congratulations!