It is awesome the way daily decisions we make almost mirror how we decide things in our life. For the last two months my well has been giving me fits. Some weeks it will produce enough water I can almost do all my house chores. Other days, I need to choose which is the most important thing to do first. There is that chance I will not have any water for that second chore. So I have to decide which is first. Do I fill the coffee carafe or prepare to flush the toilet. Well, having worked in the woods I know coffee is definitely the most important to first receive the water. I can take a chance on other needs later. And so the decisions go through out the day. Who gets what first. I know from the past, washing the face and shaving is low on that list. I learned the art of selectively washing one’s face to give the appearance of totally clean. As a youngster, it was such a task to be absolutely clean to please the adults. I was genuinely comfortable with a smudge or two of dirt here and there. The church Minister always said from dust I came and to dust I will return. I was just being an all around natural boy from the farm. Until I got my first girlfriend in the second grade. Then anything that was not covered by my shirt was absolutely clean. I just had to look nice and clean for her. But here in the woods there is no need to even consider those requirements. The wood stove doesn’t care and the wild animals surely did not object. I skipped that clean look and didn’t even bother to shave. I will admit, I occasionally washed around the mouth and eyes. Those were the important places to keep clean. Sooner or later, the well will be full again and I can start to be almost my normal self again. It seems as though no matter where I point my nose and toes, I end up similar to how I started life’s journey. Decisions have to be made as to what is important at the moment. Then later on during the day a time will present itself to the bigger need. Washing and shaving to please others was way down on that need to do list. There actually was a time in my life I tried to please others. I would work my best to help others smile. Occasionally I would even work for that “well done” comment. Then I became involved with people and projects. After a while I became quite disappointed. I am now back to how I was when I started school back in 50’s. If my face isn’t shaved and clean that is most fine with me. If others kinda sneer at me and turned up their nose, even that is fine with me. You see I was one of those kids from that family at the end of the road. I am used to being looked down on and stepped on. I am used to going without and making do with what was given to me. Money was never a high priority in my life. I would do tasks for folks and not charge them. I knew the job needed to be done to make their life a bit better. I also knew I would be taken care of as long as my heart was right. I can trace my lineage back to when my great grandparents were given a small amount of money. They were then placed on a train and shipped to the woods of Franklin County. There you are folks, survive or die. They were now out of sight of those well to do folks. And out of sight, was indeed out of mind. Why they were chosen, I do not know. They moved to the city to find a better life. They started out just trying to make things easier for their children. Times were tough and not getting better. There were wars and depressions coming their way. But by golly, they did indeed survive. I am one of those apples that fell from that tree. Now some may think I have a bit of rotten heart, but I will survive. I survive only because, well, I don’t really know why I am still here to be honest. And being honest is the prime motivation in my life. There have been many, many times, I should have been hurt or badly injured. I was spared those trials, why, I do not know. For that, I am thankful and going without water for a while is an easy task. I am thankful I have enough for that morning coffee. All the rest of things in life will eventually fall into place again. Ok, so I live alone. I have to chase my car port once or twice. Even put a covering on my green house three or four times. But, I know my heart is right. As strange as I am at times, I am quite sure the spirits smile on me. Be at peace folks, make those right decisions of what is important for today and tomorrow. But above all, stay right in the heart. ( gonna cut that darn soap box up for fire wood soon).
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