What’s the Difference?

7/15/2015        

The Lay of the Land

By Lyn Messersmith

What’s the Difference?

           

            The speaker was purported to be an authority on her topic, so Bruce looked forward to learning new information at her session, but came away troubled. Turns out, he had studied the subject more than the presenter, and when it became obvious that she was misinformed in several areas, he offered some other versions, but bit his tongue a lot to avoid disrupting the event.

            That has me thinking about how we can really discern who has been there and done it, as opposed to someone who got their information secondhand. Since there’s really nothing new under the sun, here’s another verse of an old song you’ve heard before. I claim no authoritative sources. If you disagree, make up your own.

            You might be a sailor if you know the difference between a ship and a boat. (A boat can be put aboard a ship.)

            You might be a trucker if you know the difference between a pickup and a truck. (See above, and note that country-western singers and urban cowboys drive a tricked out “truck” that would easily load on an eighteen wheeler.)

            You might be a farmer/rancher if you know the difference between a riding lawn mower and a tractor. (The wife will be your go-to person in regard to the lawn deal, but she’s pretty knowledgeable about the 656 too.)

            You might be a rancher in the Sandhills of Nebraska if you never complain about too much rain.

            You might be a farmer if you despair of ever being able to get into the field.

            You might be a gardener if you panic at the sight of baby grasshoppers in early May.

            You might be from the country if you know that dinner is served at noon and lunch is finger food that’s packed up and delivered to the hayfield.

            You might be a small town kid if the report of your misbehavior reaches home ahead of you.

            You might be descended from people who lived through the Great Depression if you refuse to pay $5.00 for a cup of coffee.

You might be over the age of fifty if you believe your parents possessed considerable wisdom.

You might be a parent if you understand why your parents worried about where you were and the company you kept.

You might be a teenager if you think none of those warnings will ever happen to you.

You might be a rancher or farmer if when traveling, you pay more attention to what is growing in the fields, and how the cattle look, than to the tourist attractions.

You might be a workaholic if the mention of vacation gives you heart palpitations.

You might have too much time on your hands if you’re still reading this nonsense!