The Mind of a Six-Year-Old on Sayings

This passalong struck me squarely in the funnybone.  I laughed, and even cried.  Kids are so wonderful (meaning full of wonder) and amazingly sharp. 

I'm old enough that every one of these sayings were drummed into me almost from my beginning. Some have lost their popularity. For instance, "Don't change horses in the middle of the stream"  became a slogan, probably during the election of 1940 when we were emerging from the Great Depression,  but especially in 1944, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was running for his fourth time, and we were in the middle of, war. I'm adding this explanation because some of my kids, most of my grandchildren and probably all my great grandchildren have never heard it.

I'm sure if somebody really administered this survey, these are only the most surprising and delightful answers.  They couldn't be the majority.  

I'm tempted to let my own progeny fill in the blanks. Maybe a family home evening, or a party game.  Hmmm.

These insights may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are 1st graders, 6-year-olds! 

1. Don't change horses...........until they stop running. 

2. Strike while the............................bug is close. 

3. It's always darkest before..............Daylight Saving Time. 

4. Never underestimate the power of ....................termites. 

5. You can lead a horse to water but........................how? 

6. Don't bite the hand that..........................looks dirty. 

7. No news is.........................................impossible. 

8. A miss is as good as a....................................Mr. 

9. You can't teach an old dog new...........................math. 

10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll ......stink in the morning. 

11. Love all,trust................................ me. 

12. The pen is mightier than the............................pigs. 

13. An idle mind is........................the best way to relax. 

14. Where there's smoke there's.......................pollution. 

15. Happy the bride who.....................gets all the presents. 

16. A penny saved is ...................................not much. 

17. Two's company, three's ....................the Musketeers 

18. Don't put off till tomorrow what ......you put on to go to bed. 

19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and..... You have to blow your nose. 

20. There are none so blind as.......................Stevie Wonder. 

21. Children should be seen and not.....spanked or grounded. 

22. If at first you don't succeed................get new batteries. 

23. You get out of something only what you ................see in the picture on the box. 

24. When the blind lead the blind................get out of the way. 

My 85th Birthday

"What do you want to do for your birthday, Mom?"  One or the other of my seven children queried me every day for a week or so.  My mind didn't even want to try to come up with an idea.  At least not until a few days ago.  

"I think I would like an open house where friends and family could drop by.  Nothing fancy, but eighty-five does seem like a nice land-mark number, and I'd like to do something special."

This year my birthday, August 30, came on Sunday.  Saturday was our ward temple night, followed by a ward dinner. That sounded pretty special to me.  When they passed around a clipboard in Relief Society I volunteered to bring dessert.  I was thinking about cookies, but about midweek I decided on a Cosco cake, and ordered one.  Carrot cake with cream cheese icing, a rainbow with puffy clouds and the words, "Happy 85th birthday, Grandma Anna."

The weather on Saturday forgot to cool off, but the air conditioning worked well in my car.  I chose being an initiatory patron at the temple because the blessings given to me, as proxy for each specific deceased woman, are beautiful, and personal.  But then, being in the temple becomes more special to me when I let it.  For me, it's a place of rejuvenation, of feeling close to our Father in Heaven, His Son, Jesus Christ, and our families.

Naturally, when I arrived at the dinner with my cake, they simply had to sing Happy Birthday to me.  Pretty sneaky?  Of course.  But since I'm in my second childhood, I can brag about birthdays like children do, and get away with it.  There's another thing I love about getting old.  I can go help clean up in the kitchen if I want to, but if I don't feel like it, I don't  feel guilty.  The dinner tasted wonderful, the people friendly, and it felt rather like a birthday party.

Next day, since I'm the ward chorister, I had chosen my favorite hymns, and the whole meeting seemed very special.  In Primary the children sang happy birthday to me.  I've been Grandma Friendly for several years, and I also sing with the nursery for a quarter hour each week.  My daughter Kat conducted Primary.  

"Grandma Friendly is having a party tonight.  An open house where you can come with your parents.  It's from six to nine.  She'd love to see you there."

I suspect every child at primary wrote, drew, or scribbled on a sheet from a scrapbook, and we had more ready for guests to write on at our open house.  The turnout amazed me, but I shouldn't have been surprised.  The children insisted on being brought.

One mother told me of her six-year-old son's comment on the way to our place. "I won't get to bed on time tonight.  I have to stay up until nine."

"We are going at six and can be home before bedtime."

"No, we can't.  The party is from six to nine, and this is an important occasion."

I'll have to agree.  I don't know when I've had a better time, though I do know a time or two I've been more exhausted.  Isn't it amazing that our body gets as much stress from happy times as it does from hard work ?