There’s a story that’s been in my family for years. My grandfather “Papa” (pronounced with a short a, as in cat) used to paint cars for a living. He built a paint shop right behind my grandparent’s house. The next door neighbor wasn’t thrilled. But as far as I know, it was pretty well-ventilated and no one else complained. He worked hard to make a living, and there was a lot of talk about “money not growing on trees.”
Papa would joke that the dinner menu for the week was “oatmeal, no meal and skip-a-meal.” It may sound sad, but I’m laughing as I write this. There was always a lot of laughter in that house, and I never went without a meal. The adults may have, but I never did. And I come from a long line of excellent Southern cooks.
So anyway, the story goes like this: Papa was going through the check book one night and realized their account was overdrawn. Frustrated, he yelled at my grandmother, Frances. “Frank, when you get to zero, you’re supposed to STOP!” I can still see the family gathered together, telling that story for the hundredth time. Side-splitting laughter. And just when we would catch our breath, someone would say the punch line again. Now, we’re practically falling on the floor.
And the real funny thing – no- amazing thing is, my family never passed the poor man’s mentality on to me. My mom and my grandma always told me I could be and do anything I set my mind to. They never said a better life would be handed to me, only that I had what I needed to get it.
I thank them for planting the seed that has allowed me to dream. Because I believe that many times, in order to get what you want, you have to be able to see it first. This has turned out to be a long introduction to this week’s post over at Hybrid Mom. Click here to read Wanted: Women Seeking More Fulfilling Work.
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