IN PRAISE OF THE COMMONPLACE: A SAMPLER
IN PRAISE OF THE COMMON PLACE
Grampa Gray
A comilation of his syndicated newspaper columnCopyright 1997 by G. F. Hutchison. All rights reserved.
Printed in the U. S. A.
Grampa Gray delights in making mountains out of molehills - or out of cobwebs, lint, spitting or whatever catches his eye. He sings the praises of all that is commonplace, and cheerfully accentuates the positive features of the most mundane aspects of our World (Ode to Housework!).
No one enjoys his own foibles more than Grampa, and with sparkling eyes, he's the first to relate them to you. He believes in the goodness of man and the absolute wonder of being a human being. He has been overheard to say: "I'm still not sure what I'll be when I grow up, but I certainly look forward to finding out - every day is such an exciting adventure!"
These commentaries on life and living, and the folk poems which punctuate them, are intended to broaden your horizons, to provide unique perspectives some folks just may have missed, and to keep a smile (if not a chuckle) on your lips.
In the introduction to each book, Grampa explains his mission:
"I write to amuse and stimulate myself, and when others also tell me they appreciate my efforts, I am doubly delighted (although, understand that I would continue writing a verse a day for my own amusement whether or not anyone else were left on Earth!). I make no pretense of writing classy poetry. Instead, I think of what I write as old fashioned, "bumpity, bump, bump, rhyming, verse!"
"Within these pages you will find pieces that are serious, ridiculous, nostalgic, patriotic and, perhaps, even, downright annoying! I sincerely hope that you find a few that will hold some important meaning for you. Be advised that I often write with tongue in cheek (which, by the way, makes whistling while I work, most difficult - though ever challenging).
Here, then, is a sampling of what you will find within the pages of Grampa Gray.
-1- Barns Are People, Too!
Anthropomorphic. The dictionary tells us it means giving human-like characteristics to non-human entities. I know! I know! Where would I be without it!! I give feelings to fences, thoughts to thunder, and creativity to crabs!!
Do you suppose that non-humans have a similar concept that means, "non-human-like characteristics attributed to humans"?
I think we've done it for them! Built like a brick. Rocks in his head. Smart as a whip. Sleeps like a log. Sharp as a tack.
What would their term be? absurdamorphic, or, (and I do shudder to contemplate it) perhaps, even the term, "poetic"!Barns Are People, Too!
I s'pose that you have noticed, too, -
Those faces on the barns.
Doors and windows, look at you,.
With fences for their arms.
Some barns look sad, with mouths turned down,
As if they're quite worn out.
They're often bare or painted brown.
Few friendly folks about.
Still others grin from ear to ear,
With dimples smiling there!!
Grand laughter one can almost hear -
(Try list'ning, if you dare!)
Some wear a look of great surprise!!!
Their mouths - a lasso, round.
With pointed brows above their eyes.
(I hope, good news, they've found!)
The ones I like the best, I'd say,
Are those who seem quite old.
Like me, look wrinkled - roof quite grey,
Such mem'ries we both hold!
I hope the barns don't mind this fun!
They're wonderful to see!
And as I study them, I won-
Der what they think of me!!!!!On more than a few occasions, my imagination got me into trouble as a youngster. Over the long haul, however, it has served me well. I often wonder what my first grade teacher would think if she knew I had actually been able to make a living using what she had once referred to as, "The Devil Himself within you that makes you think thoughts no sane lad should have."
Bless her heart, if she had had her way, no new thoughts would have ever been thought. No new ways would have ever been attempted. No new relationships would have ever been risked. Perhaps that's why she was such a sad person - she had never felt free to risk - to try anything new. As I recall, I once suggested that to her, and spent the next week in the principal's office. (That was, without a doubt, my best week of first grade!)-2- The Dances of Our Lives
I'm fascinated by the rituals of life - of one's culture, really, I suppose. We learn them well and we succeed. We fail to learn them and we falter or fail. We learn to play ball or to sew or cook. We learn to date and eventually marry. As our parents before us, we have, and raise a family. We gladly work to support and care for them. For some, then, comes retirement - for others, at least, a somewhat slower pace. Perhaps grandparenthood arrives! As oldsters, we are often both revered and yet play the role of cultural curiosities.
The rituals of life - Like dances, played out across the time and space of our days.The Dances of Our Lives
When small, I loved to dance with Mom.
She'd go where e'er I'd lead!
For sure, my moves were never calm!
The dance, my spirit, freed!
At birthday party - nine years old -
A girl asked me to dance.
No way a silly girl, I'd hold!
I ran away, first chance!!
At thirteen was all legs and arms,
Though dancing did enjoy.
Each girl I'd hold, I'd somehow harm!
Was called "The lead foot boy!"
By sixteen, dancing was my life!
It made me feel so great!
Alleviated teen-day strife -
Just loved a dancing date!My wife and I danced every night,
There in our cozy place.
We'd twirl and dip, first left then right.
The years, ne'er slowed our pace!
Last week, at mixer - young and old -
Seems something went amiss!
"You slow dance well, Sir," I was told.
(But I'd just done the twist!)I 've grown to believe that one of the other rituals of our lives, is the way we learn to eat - what we learn to like - to crave, even. I have determined through personal experience that as one grows older, it is less than easy to modify that early-acquired pattern.
Peach Pie!
If I should live to ninety nine
(As, these days, easy could!)
I hope the things on which I dine
Will still taste pretty good.
I'll give up chips and salt and fries.
I'll give up pickles, dill.
But, Oh, I hope those grand peach pies
Will grace my menus, still!If we are what we eat, it is quite likely that in my next life I will return as a peach pie (golden brown, double crust - top one woven - just screaming out for a big slab of vanilla ice cream).
-3- The Quests
Did you ever discover your Christmas or birthday gifts ahead of time, only to feel the anticipation and excitement of the season quickly drain away? Me too!
Just think of all the drama and wonder we would miss, if we had the power to see into our own future. No dreams left to pursue. No mysteries left to solve. No chances left to take.
I'm quite sure that one could have never convinced me of this when I was still a child. Back then, I always knew exactly what I wanted. I knew, without question, how happy I would be if only I could obtain that all-important dream-of-the-day.The Quests
I wanted most of all, when nine,
A bike - bright red and new!
My old one, long since lost its shine -
What fine things we would do!
At ten my dream was still the same -
I worked and saved each day.
The steepest hills with it I'd tame!
For girls, my skills display!
At twelve, that dream was realized!
I'd saved enough at last!
'Twas mine - that bike so long I'd prized.
The joy, though, soon was passed.
Who knew I'd miss my old one so?
New dents would make it seem
That two old bikes I had - you know?
Worse yet, I'd lost my dream?
Make no mistake, I do believe
In building dreams quite grand!
Pursuing them, as life we weave,
Each day, new goals in hand!But through the years, this truth came clear:
Was not the goals I'd prize.
'Twould be the quests, that I'd hold dear -
Imagine my surprise!!!Over the years, I have been the ghostwriter of many "autobiographies" for other people. It was never of the stuff they had accumulated that I wrote. It was of their struggles, their accomplishments, their quests and dreams as yet unmet.
One's life is best summarized by the trails he has ridden, the thoughts he has thought, the visions he has formulated, and the reflection he leaves in the full length mirror of time. May your quests be absolutely magnificent and your reflection bright and beautiful!-4- Once Upon A Time ...
A child's mind is wonderful. It never feels compelled to be tied to where it actually is at the moment. Atop the picnic table, one can be climbing the World's tallest mountain. Underneath that table one is in the biggest, darkest, cave imaginable. Turn it upside down and you're a pirate on a tall-mast sailing ship, seeking adventure and buried treasure on a desert island. On its side and you're shooting at the bad guys from behind a boulder out on the range.
Somewhere along the way, so many folks seem to lose that ability to let their imaginations soar with the wind. I sincerely urge any of you in that predicament, to give it another try.Once Upon A Time ...
Though started like most other days,
All that, was soon to change.
When e're recalled, I'm still amazed!
Events were very strange!!A little box came in the mail.
A jar inside - quite large,
Containing pills I'd bought on sale.
(I'd used my Master Charge!)
"A wonder pill," the label read.
Take four each day and you
Will find you have a clearer head,
And energy, brand new!
I gulped them down and sure enough,
I started feeling strong.
I gardened, did all kinds of stuff!
Had pep that whole day long.
It seemed I didn't have a care.
And mirror did reveal
That I was sporting darker hair.
Those pills were quite a deal!
'Twas great, the energy I'd found!
I felt like new-born pup!!
Then, soon, I heard this ringing sound!
Alarm clock!! I woke up!!!When I was still relatively young, I made an important discovery. I was able to do so because I had not yet learned to limit my imagination like grownups often do. I reasoned that in night dreams, ones perception was so transformed, you truly believed the dream was real. I knew that my daytime fantasies - my daydreams - could transform reality for me in that very same way. Why not find ways to make that skill work wonders for others and me?
I have spent most of my professional life doing just that; finding ways to help us use our imagination - our mental visualization skill - to make us feel better, to change our outlook and even to cure fears, phobias and many bodily ailments. (Some of the books that tell about all that are listed at the end of this volume.)
Give it a try. Visualize who or how you want to be or feel and help yourself to a new and remarkable life. Shucks, if silly old Grampa Gray can do it, surely you can. Give it a try if for no other reason than a good fantasy is a whole lot cheaper than aspirin.-5- So far, So good!
I held a new-born baby last evening - so helpless! Thank goodness for mothers. That started me thinking about my own childhood, and all of the dangerous adventures I, somehow, survived - cave exploration, shooting the rapids (without a boat), gravel pit swimming, six-foot stilts, cliff climbing, and a terrible house fire one Christmas Eve.
Surviving adolescence was even more miraculous - fast cars, hitch-hiking, taking on all dares, speaking my mind to far too many un-impressible thugs twice my size!
After that unsettling trip down memory lane, I found myself pinching my arm, to see if I was really still here! (I was!!!)So far, So good!
I got to thinking, though now old,
Most things have gone my way.
I'll knock on wood and state quite bold -
So far, so good, I'd say!My hair is mostly still in tact,
Although it has turned grey.
Can still perform my stage show act -
So far, so good, I'd say!
My teeth are mine (though 'bout that jest!),
My joints still let me play.
Can button up as I get dressed -
So far, so good, I'd say!
And though my glasses now are tri's,
At least can see that way!
Last week, at cards, won booby prize!
So far, so good, I'd say!
I love my life! I feel just great!
I paint! I sculpt in clay!
I've known and loved a marv'lous mate!
So far, so good, I'd say!
A lovely lady - fun and bright -
Just winked at me that way!
Found flames of passion still will light!!
So far, SO GOOD, I'd say!!!"I've been alive a long, long time," so said an eight-year-old to me not long ago. I agreed and asked what he thought about life. The question seemed a strange one to him at first, but once he got into it, he obviously enjoyed thinking about it. He determined life had been pretty good - so far. He asked me about my thoughts on the matter. My response skipped over the details, and just went right to the heart of the matter: "So far, so good, I'd say." "We're pretty lucky guys, huh?" was his reply. A new bond was tied that evening between two old friends.
-6- New Is Good?
There is good news and bad news at my house today. I'm the proud owner of a brand new pair of shiny, scuff-free shoes. Unfortunately, that also means I now have to begin breaking them in. Ouch! My old ones are so comfortable - holey soles and all! It made me begin thinking that new, may not always be better, after all.New Is Good?
Just look around and you will see -
Once everything was new.
New babies met with awe and glee-
There once, were me and you.
The car, once washed each week with care.
The bike - no dents or rust.
The house. That fav'rite easy chair.
The good friend's love and trust.
New babies? - helpless as can be!
New cars need breaking in.
A house, a home just cannot be
'Til many moons have been.
Takes time 'tween strangers 'til they're free
To feel that trust abides.
Most everything that's new, you see,
Needs time to hit its stride.
Though new bike's long on looks and style
Takes time to ride it right.
And easy chairs take quite a while
'Til fit each curve at night.
New workers at the fast food place,
Take time to learn the ropes.
The little leaguer rounds the base
Just filled with unmet hopes.
It's only well worn parts, I'm told
That mesh just right. So, Grin!
It's not, you see, that we are OLD,
We're just well broken in!!!Like you, perhaps, on some days I tend to feel more broken in than on others!
-7- Sunrise
Well, it appears that this journey through time and trivia is about to draw to a close. It may, therefore, seem to be an odd place to extol the virtues of a sunrise - an event that begins each day. I place it here with the hope that this is just the beginning of a continuing, wonder-filled journey for you, along life's pathways of pleasures, and up lush green hills of happiness!
Sunrise
Though sunset's beauty, won't deny,
I highly recommend
You start each day with eyes raised high -
Let sunrise greet your, friend.
At first, horizon's distant glow,
With random rays of light
That chases shadows down below
As if to tease the night.
Soft bands of hues across the sky -
So tentative, at first -
And then explode, as if the dye
From painter's pots had burst!
I've found one never can be sure
When sunrise, dim, gives way,
But soon, that wondrous heav'nly blur
Submits to light of day.
Each sunrise promises, anew,
Another day is mine
In which to work and play and do
Those things that make life shine.
So, hope you'll take the time to view
The sunrise serenade.
I wish just splendid ones for you,
And pray they never fade!With love and best wishes,
I remain,
Grampa Gray
ADD IN PRAISE OF THE COMMON MAN TO MY SHOPPING CART
