Unsolicited Wisdom

  My granddad used to teach me how to do yard work. Most of the time it seemed like stuff I didn't need to know. He told me to put down the metal rake with the teeth toward the ground, so that if someone steps on it the handle won't whack them in The face. I never believed that would actually happen.

  Wherever I was in the car with Granddad he would tell me and my brother to look out the window. He kept telling us the names of trees we drove by, and then he would quiz us later. I thought of myself as a smart kid and I didn't like being tested on the minutia of trees, birds, fish, or whatever. It was irrelevant to my 21st century childhood.

  When I didn't know the answers Granddad said it was okay. He told me everyone is born knowing nothing. I didn't want to hear that either. It took me a long time to realize he was right.

 Question for group discussion: What have your elders taught you?