AlexSandra Lett "Lett's Set a Spell"

The Good Life

In the so-called "good ole days" there was no such thing as time to write New Year resolutions. The main focus was surviving -- not doing "citified"
things like talking about or writing down such goals as "I want to be a better person in 1940."

I can't imagine my Grandpa, who was born in 1888, setting a spell with a pencil and tablet to write "I want to make a lot of money so I can buy a fancy car." No way!

If Grandpa -- better known as Puzie Lett -- were to write resolutions in a journal back then on New Year's Day they might look like these:

• 1917 Let World War I be the war that ends all wars;
• 1932 We must work harder to feed these nine "young'uns" and survive the Depression;
• 1935 Get rid of the boll weevil so cotton yields will improve;
• 1940 Sow more tobacco seeds and set out more plants since tobacco is becoming a big money crop;
• 1944 Pray every day that my son Puzie (Bud) will return safely from serving in World War II;
• 1946 Open a grocery store and filling station so we will have staples like bread, milk and hoop cheese on hand and have a gas pump to provide fuel for the trucks on the farm and those owned by neighbors;
• 1948 Thank God every day that my grandchildren, Jimmy and Carolyn, have recovered from polio;
• 1952 Hope that my wife Verta will get better because I just can't live without her (she died of hardening of the arteries that year).

Such reflections would make one wonder what was good about the "good ole days." When folks refer to the good ole days perhaps they are talking about the times when people lived by the Good Book and followed its guidance in the spirit and letter of the law. Some people may think these times were good because they demanded a high level of integrity and a lot of generosity -- folks honored the Golden Rule and neighbors shared with neighbors. Everyone's garden was open to the community. When someone killed a hog others were welcome to stop by for some chitlins' and sausage.

Even though New Year celebrations became popular in the colonies long ago such highfalutin notions didn't set well with country folks living on small farms. The emphasis was simple: feeding families, neighbors, and animals, which called for long hours and constant chores related to increasing garden pickin's and crop yields. Come to think of it, the same steps involved in sowing seeds and preparing for the harvest are similar to the principles of achieving goals. The lessons learned on the farm are practiced by many successful people in today's society - hard work, soft hearts, and steady faith always win out in the end.

As I compile my New Year resolutions each year I think back to blessings from growing up in the country. I can state them simply: Focus on doing day-by-day what it takes to guarantee a harvest -- sow healthy seeds, nourish them, fertilize the plants, get rid of the weeds, reap the rewards, and allow the spent to go to seed. Whether it's a plant or a child or a mate or a job, life's rules are about the same: give a lot, forgive a lot, love a lot, laugh a lot, and expect the best from yourself and others.

Grandpa said that after many years of hard times most farms finally prospered, families survived and even began to thrive. He called it the good life, and who am I to doubt Grandpa's words of wisdom? As Grandpa would say: "Have a good one."