In my next column in two weeks, I will write about government and politics. Among the guests on my TV show between now and then will be N.C. Sen. Louis Pate, R-Wayne, as well as Kinston Mayor B.J. Murphy and various candidates for local offices. I will attempt to highlight in that column things that are happening on the state and local level.
However, in today’s column, I want to talk with you about attitude, something that all of us have, and something that has a tremendous impact on our lives. Attitude is more important than education, money, circumstances, failures and successes. It can make or break a company, a church or a home.
The wonderful part about this, I am convinced, is that we are born with the capacity to completely control our attitudes, regardless of the circumstances around us.
So how happy do you want to be today?
You decide! We have so much to be happy about and thankful for, and yet we often find ourselves longing for “the good old days.” Let’s look back at some of the things people faced in those days, say a hundred years ago:
Baths consisted of one big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice, clean water, then all the sons and men of the house, then the women, then the children, and, last of all, the babies. By then, the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.
Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
Most people got married in June, but since baths were taken only rarely and the weather was getting warmer, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Sometimes people could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could “bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with guests, and would all sit around and “chew the fat.”
Clothes washing day was just that — all day. It was done outside, with the clothes placed in boiling water in a large iron pot with plenty of lye soap. The clothes were then rinsed and hung up on a clothes line to dry, and then taken inside to be ironed by an iron that had been placed by the fireplace to get it hot enough to do the ironing.
Wow, “the good old days.”
One thing about having a good attitude is that it helps us to look at people in a more positive light. For example, we have all heard “redneck” jokes, most of which tend to paint people in that category in a negative light.
Let’s turn that around by saying this:
You know you are a redneck if …
1. It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, “one nation under God.”
2. You never protested about seeing the Ten Commandments posted in public view.
3. You still say “Christmas” instead of “Winter Festival.”
4. You bow your head when somebody’s praying.
5. You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.
6. You respect your elders, and you raised your children to do the same.
7. You’ve never burned an American Flag, nor do you intend to.
8. You know what you believe, and you’re not afraid to say so.
It’s all in our attitude folks. Let’s thank God today that we live in this great land of America!
Reece Gardner is the host of “The Reece Gardner Hour,” which airs on TACC-9 on Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 11 p.m., Sundays at 10:30 p.m. and on-demand anytime at TACC9.com. You can reach Reece at rbgej@aol.com.
Legendary TACC-9 personality Reece Gardnerwrites a bi-weekly column for The Free Press. It publishes every other Wednesday; the guest column publishes on the other Wednesdays. To write a guest column, please contact Editor Bryan Hanksat 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com.