Hard Times? How ‘Bout A Little Perspective?

Posted @ 11:41 pm - Filed under BawldGuy Axiom, Communication, Economy, Market Correction

At a family dinner tonight we had three generations at the table. We were at one of our favorite places, and were enjoying several appetizers. Grandma came up in the conversation as we were talkin’ about the Great Depression. The usual stories were told, but then my daughter asked me to tell her favorite Grandma story.

Here’s some perspective against which you can evaluate our current economic challenges.

In the early parts of the last century, the 1920’s, though history books tell us everyone was in the high cotton, bad times had begun for many areas of the country. We usually hear about the Roaring 20’s with the wild parties, and regular folks makin’ it big time in the stock market.

That’s true as far as it goes. Those in ‘fly over’ country were already gettin’ a preview of what was just around the corner. Grandma was the oldest of eight kids. Think it was like The Waltons? Think again. The story is short, and for Grandma ends up being about, of all things, shoes. But for me? It was always about perspective.

Great Grandpa told Grandma he’d seen a flyer in town saying some of the large farms in Nebraska were hiring for the corn harvest. They needed shuckers. They were to catch the next morning’s train headin’ towards Nebraska from Missouri. She was 14. Oh, did I mention it was a freight train?

They arrived safely in Nebraska, were hired, and spent a week or so shucking corn pretty much sun up to sun down. I asked her one time about the shucking. Turns out only a small portion of the harvest was shucked on the farms. Most was harvested, loaded, and shipped to wherever.

They splurged for seats on a passenger train for the ride home. Grandma said the money they earned got ‘em through the winter. Think about that. A man and his 14 year old daughter jump a freight train, spend a week or so workin’ on a farm in terrible conditions, with no indoor plumbing, in order to support a wife and their eight kids — in another state.

Grandma didn’t tell me that story ’till I was over 40. When I asked her why, she said it didn’t seem that big a deal. When I asked Mom why she never told me, she said Grandma had never told her. Geez.

Time out here.

Are you frickin’ kiddin’ me?! That’s how her generation rolled. Something needed doin’, it got done. It was hard? What’s yer point? There were 10 mouths to feed. There’re jobs just a freight train ride away. You go there, take the job, get the mouths fed.

Where do the shoes come in? They’re the only reason Grandma told us the story. She says that was the first year all the kids got new shoes the same year. I can still remember how her face lit up as she remembered all her brothers and sisters getting shoes at the local store — in one trip. She thought they were rich.

The lessons embedded in that story are layered throughout, yet her takeaway is how they all got shoes that year.

Perspective.

Now, imagine you or your daughter at 14 — hopping a freight train to travel to a different state, so you could run yourself down for a week or so in, uh, unpleasant conditions — shucking corn.

I’ve lost two properties in my life. Like most of you reading this, I’ve been through some punishing financial times in my life. I’ve never lived for a week in a leaky lean to with a dirt floor, happy to wake up to yet another 12-14 hours of incredibly low paid, unskilled labor — just so my family could make it through the winter, and I could afford to get all my kids shoes for once.

Perspective.

Wanna know where I get at least half of my ‘axioms’? Grandma. I’ll leave you with my favorite, as it’s always offered layers of wisdom in very few words.

BawldGuy Axiom: About the time the farmer got the old mare to work without eatin’, she died.

Call or email me, and together we’ll get some perspective on your retirement. There’s no time like the present to ensure keepin’ yourself in shoes won’t be a problem when yer done workin’. Have a good weekend. I’m gonna.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 11:41 pm and is filed under BawldGuy Axiom, Communication, Economy, Market Correction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.