12 Retro Adages That Still Ring True Today
I was born in California to parents who were from the Midwest. My mom, whose father was a country doctor, grew up in Iowa. Her dad was oftentimes paid with chickens and garden produce because most of his patients’ families had very little money. When Mom was 9 years old, her father died while on a house call when a donkey jumped off a small bank and through the windshield of his car. My grandmother had to send my mom and uncle to live with relatives until she could find enough work to feed her children.
My dad was born on a dairy farm in Wisconsin where he lived until he joined the Army at the beginning of World War II. There was no reprieve from labor on a dairy farm. My dad put in a couple hours of work before breakfast, every day. And then he worked after school, on weekends, and during long hot summer days. He tells of skinny dipping in the creek with his brothers when their father was busy elsewhere.
My parents quoted adages on a regular basis. I don’t know if this was a Midwestern thing or simply commonplace for that generation, but these retro adages continue to offer so much wisdom today.
Birds in Bushes and Money Trees
As a child, several of my parents’ sayings went over my head. For example: “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” I had no idea what that meant. I didn’t want to catch flies. They were nasty creatures—landing on dog poop and then flying around my plate at picnics.
“A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush,” was another confusing one. I couldn’t figure out a) what good two birds in a bush would do me, and b) why I would want one in my hand.
As I grew older, I understood that our family wasn’t poor, but there wasn’t extra money for “splurges” (a common word heard in our home). Consequently, I didn’t ask for things. Instead, I babysat, and with the earnings I bought fabric and taught myself how to sew beyond the basics, following pattern instructions. In time, my mom and her friends paid me to sew clothing items for them. I learned to budget, and stay on budget, and not spend beyond my means—and all that served me well later in marriage. All because there were no money trees in our backyard.
Wisdom for Work Ethic
I’m not sure how many times I heard this as a teenager: “If so-and-so jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?” No, of course not, Mom. We’re talking about wearing short cut-offs, not about doing dangerous cliff-jumping things.
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” How often did I hear this growing up?! I was the dreamer, the girl who would array the options, roll up her sleeves, and work to make it happen. I was always counting my chickens before they hatched.
There was a season when I sewed clothing for clients—custom work that I loved doing. I had a friend who knew the owner of a chic women’s clothing boutique in a large nearby city. My friend put in a good word, and I soon had an appointment to meet the boutique owner to show her some clothing items. I even had business cards made up, which was an extravagance at the time. I was so sure this “break” was going to take me places.
As it turned out, my business cards and I drove home from the big city with crushed dreams. I had, once again, counted my chickens before they hatched, which taught me a valuable life lesson—to approach any and all dreams with reality and put more thought into every Big Idea that launched from my brain.
“Any job worth doing is worth doing well.” I understood this idiom from the beginning, and inadvertently adopted it as a mantra. I was the girl who wanted to do the job well, to offer the best possible customer service, to make my boss and the company look good.
One boss—the vice president of operations and a rather large, stern, intimidating man—called me into his office when it was time for reviews. After several nice comments about my work ethic and people skills, he said, “I’m surprised you haven’t moved onward and upward because you’re capable of higher-level work than what you’re doing here.”
Pretty sure my jaw dropped. I had no idea he thought this. I just know that I gave my best for him because, as my parents had drilled into me, “Any job worth doing is worth doing well.”
Why Retro Adages Still Ring True
“Beggars can’t be choosers.” “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” “Practice makes perfect.” “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” These were all common in my childhood home.
Looking back, I see clearly that my parents had a good deal of combined wisdom to share with us kids because of their own challenging life experiences as children growing up during the Great Depression.
For the most part, their wisdom penetrated my brain. But I’m not sure if it was because they were always quoting old sayings instead dishing out lengthy lectures or because they lived what they quoted. They were early to bed and early to rise. They had a strong work ethic, which they passed down to us kids. They managed their funds well, knowing there were no money trees in the backyard. My mom fed us healthy foods long before it became trendy.
So not only did we have apples to keep the doctor away, but there were lots of fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, and legumes to keep the doctor away.
It seems only appropriate to close this piece with one of my dad’s favorite axioms, normally quoted as we were heading out the door: “Don’t take any wooden nickels!”
(Photo by Bruno Cantuária/Pexels)
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It’s clever sayings like these that prompted our Smart Living podcast and guidebook series! Learn more about the impact of smart living for every day here: Discover How Grit, Grace, and Smart Living Can Change Your Life – 278
