Life Lessons Learned Run Deep

by Earl Corp

One of My favorite songs is by Tracy Lawrence and has some powerful lyrics to it of which I find these words very fitting for this contest entry:
Lessons learned, man they sure run deep
They don't go away and they don't come cheap
Oh there's no way around it
Cause this world turns
On lessons learned

It’s hard to pinpoint the best advice I got from my Mom and Dad. But I’ll give it the old college try.

My Dad taught me the important stuff about growing into manhood such as shaving, how to drive, hunting, and fishing. But I would have to say probably the lesson I carry to this day is to have common sense. I went to the Institute of Common Sense. Everyday had something new to learn. To this day Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty is foremost in my mind.

While I didn’t always get along with my Dad, I was very grateful for the life lessons. I remember listening to a bunch of older guys standing around shooting the bull. They all had examples of guys they knew that didn’t have common sense. Hearing them talk about these guys like they were dogs was enlightening. I made a vow to myself I would never be THAT guy.

And I met guys like that in the Army and in college. They were so smart they were stupid. I still don’t know how they managed to tie their shoes in the morning.

The lessons I got from my Mom were two-fold. Don’t ever quit and give a man a fair day’s work for wages. I was allowed to try any sport or club I wanted to. The deal was I had to do it for an entire school year. Didn’t have to do it the next year, but there was no quitting allowed.

As I continue through life I can look back on my 60 some years on this planet and count how many things I’ve quit on one hand. The funny thing is none of them happened before my 18th birthday.

Both Mom and Dad are gone now. But the lessons I got growing up made me the man I am. I might not be a millionaire, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

Write A Review

Things my parent(s) taught me writing prompt entry

Writing Prompt
In honor of Mother's and Father's days, write a piece about the best advice or thing you learned from a parent.