Words to Live By (Dateline August 2005)

I do a lot of driving for my job, so I get to see parts of the county most normal people won’t go to in broad daylight. And sometimes, when I’m really feeling frisky, I drive down a totally unknown road just to see what’s there. The funny thing about where I live is that there are a lot of roads that aren’t paved yet. There are lots of very expensive homes down some of these roads; roads you would expect the Texas Chainsaw Massacre guy to live on.

So, along with all the driving, I see a lot of cars. I also see a lot of cars with bumper stickers. Most stickers are pretty generic, but a couple I saw last week really caught my notice.

To give you some background, let me tell you a little bit about my husband. Dave was a Marine for 23 years. Depending who you ask (me or a former Marine), he is still a Marine, just not on active duty. You can usually spot a Marine at twenty feet because there is just something different about them. The only other military men who even come close are Army Rangers. (Yes, I know there are women in the military, and there are women Marines. I’m retired from the Navy. But this is a husband story, not a gender based story). Marines, even former Marines, still have remnants of that bull neck, that short hair, and that air of being able to get things done despite all the BS. But Dave wasn’t always a Marine (present or former). He was once 7 years old just like the rest of us.

Remember the Wizard of Oz? The movie with Judy Garland? When I was young, I used to watch it once a year when it came out in a television special. In fact my mother used to watch it as a little girl back in the 1930’s. It’s always been a favorite of mine. So when the kids started coming, I bought a copy, thinking to pass down a great movie to another generation.

Well, wouldn’t you know, my husband hates the movie. He tells me it’s a monkey thing. He just can’t stand the monkeys the Wicked Witch of the West lets loose on the Tin Man, the Lion, and Dorothy. The monkeys just give him the willies. Go figure.

So I was sitting in traffic the other day, and right in front of me, on the bumper of a 4x4 extra-large, grocery-getter SUV was a bumper sticker that said, “Don’t make me let the monkeys out!” I about fell over! It was all I could do not scream with laughter! Someone else who understands! (Wonder if they’re married to a Marine too…)

The other bumper sticker I saw was on the back of a 4x4 extra-large, grocery-getter, bright red, pick-up truck. The kind where you have to crane your neck up to see who’s driving. The kind that I look down the tail pipe of because my vehicle is so low to the ground. On this particular day the sun was bright enough for me to look up and spot the bumper sticker on the back. It said, “Get in, Sit Down, Shut up, Hang on.”

Besides the Monkey bumper sticker, I really like this one. It got me thinking. Hey, at my age anything that gets me thinking of something other than how to get my kids to stop talking 24/7 is worth noting.

I can picture it now. St. John at the back gate of heaven (Peter is busy at the front gate). He’s prepping the people who are on their way to get born. As they step up to the next rail car he tells them what to expect, what not to forget, and how to get home again. And when one of them asks about what they are supposed to do when things get really bad, he tells they will only have to remember to do four things:

“Get in” - Life is for living. No sitting on the sidelines.
“Sit Down” - Better take your rest where you find it, you're in it for the long haul.
“Shut up” - How can you hear God giving you directions if you are never quiet?
“Hang on” – It ain’t over till it’s over. Just remember who’s driving the bus (hint, it’s not you)
and you’ll always be OK.

Words to live by.

As always, frantically looking for some quiet time in Buckley,

Mary (mom to seven kids, five cats, and wife to a former (monkey-willied) Marine)