Things Ive learned from my Mom

 Strong daughters come from strong mothers

Jeanene

                                          

I have learned a lot from my Mom.   

1.  Hard work solves a lot in life

2.  How to plant a garden

3.  How to care for a garden

     a.  Weeding

     b.  Pulling the dirt back from the onions

     c.  How to pollinate squash (with a dust mop)

4.  How to knit

5.  How to can produce, meat, anything

6.  How to be VERY frugal

7.  To save buttons

8.  Trying to accomplish a little something every day is a good philosophy especially as you age

9.  Think about the repercussions of your actions

10. Think about what you're going to need so you only have to make one trip

11. How to keep a clean house-keep floors vacuumed and counters clear

12. Where to look for blueberries, strawberries and raspberries

13.  How to make jelly and jam

14.  How to sew

15. How to shoot a gun

16. To work hard

17. To cherish the history of things

18.  Be curious about everything

19.   Ambition is a virtue

20.  To be independent

21.  How to butcher a chicken and a deer

22.  How to cook partridge

23.  A love of growing things

24.  A love of rearranging furniture 

25.  Changing decor for the season

26.  How to use a chainsaw

27.  Curiosity is a virtue

28.  How to bake bread

29.  How to make krumkake

30.  How to make lefse

31.  "Straighten up and fly right"

32. "You can't hold what you haven't got in your hands"  In reference to a slipped fart

33.  "Built like a brick shit house"  In reference to something or someone solidly built

34. "Thin as a rail"

35. "Doesn't know his head from his ass"

36.  "Anyone with an eyeball and an ass hole could see that"

37. " It went from hell to breakfast"

38. "Hell or highwater"

39. "Slicker then cat shit"

40. "It's not what you earn, it's what you save"

41. "Better put some elbow grease into it"  -physical work

42. "Put it to rise"  - to wait before acting

43.  "Better add it to the soup"  -it doesn't make a big difference

44.  "Better have some get up and go"   in other words ambition

45.  "Do something, even if it's wrong" -just try 

46.  In response to falling down-"I don't see any blood running"

47. "Use your head"-a common refrain urging me to think 

48."The more you cry the less you piss"

49.In response to having uninvolved parents, "Was he shit out on a fence post and hatched out in the sun"

50.  "He doesn't know if he's on foot or horseback"  someone who doesn't know what is going on

51.  "Give it some gas"  -add more power could be just lifting 

52.  "I don't have any umph"  -not feeling powerful

53.  "Rattles like shit through a tin horn"-  someone who talks without thinking or making sense

Integrity

 

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching  C.S. Lewis

                                   

 

The older I get the more in tune I am to my actions matching my being.  

There are a certain number of social niceties that are required to get along in society.  Do I always feel like being friendly to the store clerk, maybe not but we do it to make that person's day a bit more pleasant.  Even though that nicety may not match my mood of the moment it is the grease that keeps our society running and is not a rub against my integrity.  In fact, I will go as far as saying it is a function of my values to be kind and therefore that makes it authentic even though it probably isn't in the clear definition of the word.  I believe what makes the difference is intention.  My intention is kindness therefor that makes the action authentic and keeps me living in integrity.

True integrity is matching your actions with your values.  It is often intention that hints as to your action being authentic or not. Doing the right thing-not at the expense of yourself but with the intention of expressing authentic kindness or connection.

• Intention is determining the rational behind your action
• Authenticity is assuring your intention is within your values
• Integrity is taking authentic action with intention