Becoming our Parents, Take it Easy

My mother and father never wavered in their routine. After each one of my siblings sprang into life, my father sat on the porch and spit ‘Day’s Work’ tobacco juice down his chin while my mother snapped beans, hummed softly, and smiled. Even throughout the years, as old friends passed on, they whittled and spit or hummed and snapped. As one-by-one each of their children found lovers and moved away, they remained steadfast. They refused to yield to sorrow. They paid no attention to poverty. They ignored the propaganda of government officials and world potentates. I can’t help but wonder if they ever had dreams of city lights and all-night diners; of drive-through this and 50% off that? Did they fantasize about having a dollar in their pocket, more meat on the table, or just being able to visit a doctor when ailments became more than home-made remedies could fix? Or were they way too busy to worry about such things. Change those things you can Don’t worry about the rest Take life as it comes