ME AND HARRY

“The people with the best advice are usually the ones who have been through the most.”

Frances Theresa Densmore, anthropologist

October 11, 1951

Columbus, Ohio

Harold and Evelyn Snider are celebrating the birth of their third son, Jerry. That’s me.

That same year you could buy gasoline for 20 cents a gallon, a carton of milk for 92 cents and a loaf of bread for 16 cents. Superglue was invented, the United States was fighting in the Korean War, and Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States.

Mr. Truman was in charge when the second world war was coming to an end and made the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan. When running for office his campaign slogan was, “Give ’em Hell, Harry!” As a child, I would sometimes hear the adults around me talking about President Truman and what they liked or didn’t like about him. When I got a bit older, I decided to do some research on Harry Truman. Here are some of his observations and my slant on what they mean.

“The Buck Stops Here.”

The president had a sign on his desk with this quote. He would listen to the people around him and consider their viewpoints. But he fully accepted responsibility for his decisions. You and I may not have created the current situation we find ourselves in. Even so, we are still 100% in charge of our attitude about it and how we respond. Yes, I know life is sometimes unfair and there are plenty of bad guys out there. Your attitude will always be the one thing no one can take away from you. The buck stops with you.

“If You Can’t Stand The Heat Get Out Of The Kitchen.”

Anytime you take a step out of your comfort zone you’re going to have plenty of folks telling you your dream is impossible. They will laugh at your mistakes and be quick to point out the flaws in your plans. Most of the time these people, in a twisted way, are showing their timidity for not pursuing their dreams. Do your best to ignore the critics and go for the gold. Regardless of the outcome, you will always have the satisfaction you gave it your best shot. Stay in the kitchen.

“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities

and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”

Life is full of detours. The bridge you need to cross suddenly gets washed away in a flood, it rains on your parade, and you miss the bus. Now what? Build a boat, put on a raincoat, hitchhike. You have options. One of them is giving up. And the other is to press on, find a way, believe in yourself. “Give ’em Hell (fill in your name here).

And finally,

“Being too good is apt to be uninteresting.”

Have some fun. Don’t be afraid to laugh. Be kind and enjoy the ride.