Frederick and Josephine

Frederick and Josephine

In the hustle bustle of this everyday fast paced life, we are inundated with a need for more. Nothing ever seems to be good enough. I contend that we have too much; yet it’s not enough. It has been drilled into us from the time we learned how to talk and comprehend what we are hearing. Be the best at everything, do not settle for second best, you are able to be whatever you want; it is only yourself that holds you back. It does not matter who you have to trample to get the things you want. You and your goals are the only thing that matter. No matter what level of greatness you achieve, you are taught to keep going and keep gaining more.

So I ask; when is enough, enough? To which I answer myself by saying there is no answer. Example: The banks made so many Billion last year in profits, they are always expecting to make more the next year; how many billion is needed?
I hear people saying I am going to work like a dog, do whatever I have to do so that when I hit fifty five I can retire and just set back and relax and do nothing, all the while missing out on family life, and a host of other simple ordinary things that really make life worth while.

Now I know that it isn’t this way for everybody, however, it would appear that the large majority of people live this way.
It is also further apparent that if we did not have some people to think this way, we would have become a static race long ago. The need for new medicines along with many other things that help us to live longer and more enriched lives demands that we have people that have the never good enough attitude.

So it isn’t always a bad thing to have the attitude of always wanting more, not if it is used in the correct context. But alas, we are a fickle bunch of beings for what is hot today is ice tomorrow. For example, if we look at a famous sports personality, when they are on top and pulling off one miracle after another, we love them and we support them. But let them go into a slump, or level off, which always happens at some point and soon they become a first class bum. Thus we see that public pressure demands that we have the best from everyone. Never mind the fact that they are human. We want our miracles. It has gone on in one form or another for as long as there have been people. We are never satisfied. Consider Eve, and Adam too, they had everything except a single tree. But they just had to have it. We always want what we can’t have. It’s fruit no matter what form it takes seems to be the sweetest. Then a few days months and
years go by and we discover there is always something to take it’s place. It never ends.

As I set and think about myself and my wants I come to these conclusions. I want my family and friends to love me as I love them back. I want to be able to eat the things I want. I want to have a modest comfortable home. I would like to have good health for my family, friends, and myself. There is the new car, the one that works well with no monthly bills to fix it, which keeps me in the poor house. Some good clean newer clothes would be nice. I can’t forget eating out once a week and maybe twice. Then there are the toys….TV, four wheeler, fishing rods, shotguns, computers, computer games, and well…you get the picture, it never ends. If I had money, then my toys would be bigger that’s all. Here we find why people are all poor, or so to speak, we all live to the amount of money we make. Little is left over for the rainy day. Thus we have to make more.

That banker I spoke of, the only difference between him and I are like for example our vacations. I am content to perhaps save up and go for a week to a big city to take in a ball game or some such thing. Where he goes for several weeks to a Villa in some far away exotic place, he spends scads of money on a host of things. I spend scads of money on a host of things. My things are hotdogs and beer. His things are caviar and fine wine. My car is a fuel efficient SUV. His car is a top of the line luxury car. My motel is that of the modest kind. His motel is of the extravagant order.

The fact is we all eat and drink. Our vehicles get us to where we are going. We sleep and rest the same number of hours. And we both come home and work very hard so we can do it again.
Who said it had to be this way? Who made it law that we have to live in a dog eat dog world? Why can’t we just slow down and relax, and take life easy? When we do, we come to learn that the simple everyday things are the most important in the life.
For as long as I can remember I knew Frederick and Josephine. To me they were Uncle Fred and Aunt Josie. This was quite strange in its own right because Fred was only my 4th cousin through marriage and Josie was my 4th cousin. Yet, they were a lot older than me and I loved them both dearly so they were just what I wanted them to be, my Aunt and Uncle.

I come from a very close family; we did, and still do, everything together. I remember Uncle Fred always had a Volkswagen when I was a kid. And when it came time for all of us to go to New Hampshire to see my Great Uncle Isaiah, I had to go with Uncle Fred and Aunt Josie. There would be three car loads of us all travelling
together, on what seemed like an endless journey to me. Oh the times we had. I can still smell the pipe tobacco from Uncle Fred’s pipe which was always a constant appendage protruding from his mouth. Aunt Josie loved to talk, always about happy things. And she would get so excited over the simplest of things. I know when we stopped at Six Gun City; the ride in the stage coach meant more than any amount of money to her.

Fred and Josie led very humble lives. A small car and neat well kept apartment was their only large, if you will, expenses. They both had good jobs where they worked very hard. I can remember going to buy potato chips, which you could do then, from the chip plant in our home town where they worked. When I seen them, and I always did, they were always the same, smiling and happy and always glad to see me.
Aunt Josie loved Budgie Birds and it was about the only extravagance I ever knew her to have. Uncle Fred liked his pipe, and walking up to the Legion to play some cards with friends, and have a beer or two.
As I got older, I was one of those friends and I was glad I was. I have many fond memories of Uncle Fred and how he would laugh at the simple everyday things, the things he loved the most.

The coldest day in January would find Uncle Fred walking along with the mail, in just a light jacket not even completely zipped up, bare hands, and no hat. But as always the pipe was there. Sometimes it wouldn’t be lit, but it was always there nonetheless.

Here they were, just two humble people with very humble wants. Enjoying the simple things in life the way it is meant to be. It strikes me; all the time that some people are too busy to enjoy the simple things, trying to get to a point where they can enjoy retirement and the simple things, so to speak, Fred and Josie were doing it every day.

They are both gone now, and I miss them both. Yet, I have a lifetime of memories from the simple life and how good it can be.

If Uncle Fred were here he would say “Yup…ya know…one feller is just the same as the next….the best a feller can hope for is to live life to the fullest…an hopefully leave behind some good memories fer those that are left behind…. it all ends the same….ya can’t taker with ya…we come in to this here world with nothin an that’s jus how were gonna leave it….so….I guess it makes us all the same…yes sir my boy….yes sir.”
Thursday, July 29, 2010
RL Tex Smith