Advice from An Ol’ Farmer

[Carol Anne Kincaid~Paradis]

Advice from An Ol’ Farmer

Advice from An Ol’ Farmer

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don’t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

When nothin’ goes right, go left.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.

Most times, it just gets down to common sense.

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If you enjoyed these iconic pieces of advice, share them where you hang out with Friends.

It may seem cynical to say, "Trust No One," but it can actually be a reassuring and positive thought. I am not presuming that others wish you harm. A few may and most don't, but that's not the issue here. For the purpose of this discussion, let's assume that everyone has honorable intentions, and is not doing anything self-serving. Let's further assume that they have your best interest at heart and are volunteering to help you with no consideration of benefit to themselves. This is a bit of a stretch, but it sets the stage for the real point.

in their most generous moments, people are attempting to provide you with what they think is best for you. That's a problem. Have you ever been happily curled up on the couch on a Saturday afternoon when there was a knock on your door and several cheerful and enthusiastic people offered to show you their way to achieve salvation? They sincerely believe that they know what is best for you. Apply this thought to everyone in your life from the life insurance salesman to your mother. Under the best of circumstances, they sincerely want to provide you with the advice that they believe will enable you to live the life that they think you should. Disregarding any doubts of their sincerity and ability, the question becomes whether you choose to live the life someone else wishes for you.

As I have said before, Conscious trust is one of the underpinnings of a great life. However, what I am asking you to consider today is the difference between trusting someone's intention, and trusting their ability to know what is best for you.

In the example above, I TRUST that the visitors at my door want the best for me (unless that trust is broken). What I don't trust is that they are a better judge of how I should live my life than I am.

Many of us have been conditioned to trust others' opinions more than our own, and I believe that sort of trust is excessive. This is especially true with regard to authority figures - doctors, lawyers, priests. I trust my doctor's intentions toward me, but I don't blindly follow his suggestions without checking other sources also. He was trained to prescribe a pill for everything, and does it with the best of intentions, but I often choose to trust God's quiet voice inside me rather than my doctor's medical advice.

It is impossible for anyone to advise you on anything without presuming that they know what you should want. For example, this article is prompted by my belief that you should want to make your own decisions about your life. But don't trust me on that, it's your life.

Don't decide who to trust, decide which ideas to trust.

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
– The Buddha

Posted by Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

May you always have the Courage to Spread Your Wings and Fly!

May The Angels Shower You with Blessings Daily .Hugs