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Words of Wisdom
What are words of everyday wisdom?
It started when I was ten. I’d flown, by myself, from San Francisco to Chicago to visit my grandmother whom I adored. What had she planned for my visit? It was in the time before video blogs and was, for me, a childhood thrill. She took me to the radio station for her daily radio show.
My Nana was the only person I knew who had her own radio show – five minutes a day, five days a week telling the stories of people helping people, stories from all over our world.
The station was a beehive of activity. While I had no idea what anyone was doing, I sensed that everyone loved my grandmother.
Soon, we were seated across from each other at a circular table in a room with windowed walls. The door was closed. The microphone sat in front of Nana who began her show as I continued my gazing, trying to take in every detail.
In her warm, full voice, Nana greeted her audience and went on to tell them that I was with her in the studio, her granddaughter from California. That startled me and made me begin to listen.
To my complete astonishment, she didn’t just introduce me on air, she asked me what I’d like to say to her audience. Me! I had nothing to say. What could I say that was of value? I was just a little girl.
I was speechless. Completely. I could think of nothing to say. There was a terrible silence til I squeaked my hello. Otherwise, I didn’t say a thing as I looked at my Nana feeling as If I were a great disappointment.
That was the last time I was caught unprepared with nothing to say. It was the Girl Scout motto for goodness sakes - be prepared. It became my mantra. This was the first of many words and phrases I’ve used each day.
Over the years, I’ve come to think of these as my Words of Everyday Wisdom. I’ve added a few thoughts, tips, or ideas to the words that have guided me. I hope you’ll find that one or two speak to you.