"On Mom's Isms"

My mother was a woman of few words.  There were no lengthy monologues expressing her feelings or thoughts but brief, to-the-point sayings, what I call "isms."  Quotes--brief, concise, and quite pragmatic, they were a'propos for each occasion or circumstance which arose.  It is impossible to mentally retrieve them on demand, but during my daily life I find myself repeatedly saying, "As my mother would say...."  And one of her quotes comes forth. 

This is a collection of Mom's "isms," those personal expressions I connect exclusively with her.  While they may have more meaning to my children and extended family than those who did not know her, they may resonate with others as well, as they come from another time and place.  Perhaps they will initiate some of your own memories of people in your life as well.  Enjoy.

  1.  "Things could be worse."  This was a classic of my Mother.  It was my chore to dry the          dishes she washed by hand.  I remember standing at the sink baring my soul with all            the angst of a teenager, and this was her response.  Though I never spoke
       it, I usually thought, "They could be better too."
  2.  "Six of one, a half dozen of another."  When making a decision between two things that
       were similar, this was the solution.  It's a way of saying that it really doesn't make any
       difference. 
  3.  "Don't cry over spilled milk."  You can't change what's happened.  There's no going
       back, no doing it all over again, so just deal with it and don't make a fuss about it.
  4.  "To each his own."  This was my Mother's way of expressing the individuality and
       uniqueness of each person and was her personal acknowledgement life is lived                    according to themselves and no other.  Do not judge and do not waste your time                    trying to figure other people out.
  5.  "If it's a bear it would have bit you."  Try explaining this one to an 8-year-old munchkin
       who takes everything literally.  You know when you search high and low for something
       you've lost, and you find it in a very obvious place, one you've overlooked?  That is
       when this is applicable.
  6.   "You make a better door than you do a window."  This was Mom's approach when
        someone was blocking the view.  Get out of the way.  Straight-forward, direct. 
  7.   "It'll keep" or "It's not going anywhere."  Unfinished work, projects left undone
        because other demands of daily life called.  There IS always another day to deal with
         them.
  8.   "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."  Things may not turn out the way you
        would like them to.  It's better to just wait and see.
  9.   "I wouldn't lose any sleep over it."  Whatever is going on, it isn't worth worrying
        about.
10.   "When it rains, it pours."  We have all experienced this one.  You just get through a
        difficult set of circumstances, and another appears.  You finally get through that one,
        and yet another one rears its ugly head.  As I recollect, these were never easy       
        situations, but the kind that buckle you at the knees.  Which leads me to my next
        one:
11.  "Things always come in threes."  According to my mother, events came in sets of
       3.  It could be deaths, births, broken dishes, sicknesses--calamities large and small. 
       She had a pretty broad view as to what was covered.
12.  "It won't kill you."  As you can well imagine, there was no arguing when she pulled this
        one out of her arsenal.  It didn't matter what my brothers or I didn't want to do or didn't          like doing, this one sealed the deal for her.  She was right.  It wouldn't and didn't kill              us.
13.  "Were you born in a barn?"  I was raised on a farm. This was Mom's admonition when          we didn't close a door behind us. 
14.  "If I give you an inch, you'll take a mile."  I was a difficult child.  There was no malice,   
        but I did push the boundaries.  My persistence, strong will, and stubbornness caused
       my parents grief.
15.  "Just sleep on it."  Mom's sage advice, which was passed down from my grandmother,          in dealing with problems.  She maintained a solution would usually come forth in the              morning.
16.  "Too much of a good thing."  Overstimulation in today's vernacular, when fun is no                  longer fun.
17.  "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach."  This was an oft repeated saying at family            gatherings when food abounded.
18.  "You bit off more than you can chew."  A succinct expression of good intentions with              less than ideal results.
19.  "You're making a mountain out of a mole hill."  Overthinking, creating a problem where          one doesn't exist.
        

"As my mother would say....," coming from my own mouth, is a gentle reminder of the woman who was in my life for over 40 years.  A part of my present, everyday, practical living, her "isms" will continue to surface for the rest of my life.  And perhaps this reinforces the principle as well that what we say matters and lives on long after we are gone.