Reflections From The Kitchen Sink On Common Sense

Common Sense

So I have been a purging machine the last few weeks. You remember the photo of the first dumpster. I’m working on dumpster number two. Today, I won’t bother beating the “Live Simply” drum again though that concept can never be emphasized too often. Today’s reflection is on common sense. Well, maybe my concern that it’s a dwindling trait.

Exhibit A—the burning of trash.

I’m one of those paranoid people. Maybe that’s more naive than paranoid. I still like to think my personal information is safe, but I just don’t know with all the corporate hacks and such. Anyway, during my cleanout, I found statements from an old checking account and books of unused checks. I found a collection of business receipts with clients’ addresses and phone numbers. Just a whole bunch of stuff that, if I lived in the city, would have needed shredding. Y’all know though, I don’t live in the city. (Did you hear that with a twang? I did LOL!!)

Once I had a full cardboard box, it was time to incinerate the collection. I headed to my field to the low spot that looks like it was created for these tasks and set a couple edges on fire. Mind you, when I started this task, the wind wasn’t blowing. Also note, it had rained for a couple days. Safety first. …and common sense…

The flames took a little coaxing. I poked air holes in a couple spots with part of an old bed frame that was nearby. Almost instantly, I had a s’mores lovers dream fire.

Then the breeze came. Oops. Just a light breeze, but a breeze. Then the edges of the grass captured the heat and caught fire. This is where it gets interesting.

Without really thinking, I reacted with my weapon of choice—yes, the bedframe poker—and did a quick march around the edge stomping the attempted field run jabbing and spreading the small stack of rebellious papers along the way.

Maybe five seconds later, things were totally under control. I little physics and a little common sense had taken care of the moment. I immediately thought to myself that a lot of people I know wouldn’t have known how to manage that. Something that to me was simple. Why would that be?

A lot of who I am is because of my dad. He is just a survivor in life. He is truly one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. I have a science degree but know only a thimble-sized portion of his science knowledge. From farming to air space management, he knows every discipline of science, but his version is the real science, not that book stuff. He got a double dose of common sense through his life, too. I’m worried not enough people are getting the practical application in science or any other discipline for that matter.

People don’t read, write, and get their hands dirty in real world experiences like they used to. Vocational education has been looked down upon and squeezed out of so many places. (The arts, too, but we will sing that song another day. Pun intended.)

When Michael and I married in 1996, I remember his grandfather being impressed I could make homemade biscuits and gravy. He even asked Michael twice about it. “She doesn’t use that stuff in the little pouches from the store?” When I demonstrated old school common sense with Pa, too, I was in like Flynn.

We live in a generation of folks who oftentimes can’t count change if they punch the amount into the register incorrectly. A generation who will walk a quarter mile to unlock a door then come back for the items they were putting inside that building. (That might have been one of my boys yesterday…) We’ve dropped the ball on top of hill, and it’s about to roll, people. We better find some common sense training and fast. I hate to be the one to tell you there’s probably not a quick TED talk to fix this, and you can’t order it on Amazon prime either.

This goes back to that natural curiosity and problem solving I mentioned a few entries ago. They now live in the same elusive land as common sense.

 

This afternoon, I may entertain myself with my boys’ managing some leaf removal. If I’m nice, I will show them how to sweep leaves on a tarp and pull them away. If I’m not, I may watch them take a small bundle at a time to the woods along the creek. Maybe I will pop some popcorn and watch for a while then share a little common sense with them. You know, I’m not the most patient person when there are things to do, but at the same time, experience can be the best teacher.

For now, I will just think about the possibilities while I linger at the sink this chilly morning. Common sense tells me this coffee will warm me up.

…until next time…

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Bio-Melinda Campbell is a retired educator who currently focuses her efforts on raising her two teenaged boys, advocating for individuals with special needs and against drunk driving, and serving in her local community. Melinda has been gaining recognition for her writings labeled “Reflections from my Kitchen Sink” since the tragic death of her husband Michael in 2015. In her stories, she shares observations from her daily life including moments she has as a solo parent, a widow, and a woman who battles significant health issues including fibromyalgia and depression.