A sign of the times

Posted on by WritingfromtheheartwithBrian

When I was a young kid, my mother would tuck me into bed at night. I would often open up to her about whatever was bothering me. I would tell her about the problems I was having making friends or how I didn’t want to go to school the next day.

She would listen intently, probe a little, and come back with a bit of wholesome wisdom like “when one door closes, another door opens” or “God only gives us what we can handle.”

Oh, I was always impatient and wanted an immediate fix, but I was still smart enough to give her advice the benefit of the doubt. Plus, I knew there was no getting out of whatever it was I was facing. My mom and dad wouldn’t let me skip school. If I tried, there would most certainly be “hell to pay.”

My mom doesn’t get around very well anymore, her “tucking in days” are long gone, but I found elements of her wisdom last week on our vacation trip to the beach. When it rained or got too hot or humid, my wife and I went shopping in the small surf and t-shirt shops located on and near the boardwalk.

I felt like fate was trying to give me a message. Okay lots of messages.

A day at the beach

In the coffee shop we stopped for some liquid courage and a croissant, a bright sign on the wall pronounced “Life Is Meant To Be Sweet.” A shirt I saw on the rack in another shop seemed to have been written just for me. It had an image of a funny-looking crab with the words “Crabby Guy” and in smaller letters read “You gotta problem with that?”

At one point, I felt like I was really onto something. An array of coasters gave some great, sarcastic advice that seemed written just for me. The messages included:

  • When my kids say “daddy, I want mommy” that’s their version of “I’d like to speak to the supervisor.”
  • I wonder what my dog named me?

My favorite one of the lot: “Gone To The Beach, Be Back Never.”

Be yourself

I really felt seen though when I was looking through a few greeting cards and saw one, saying: “Some people call me crazy. I prefer the term ‘Happy With A Twist.'” In addition, a candle that I liked gave some great career advice: “Less Monday, More Summer.”

Oh, I could relate to that one. I certainly didn’t want to head back to work this week. Two signs though gave me the best advice. The first was a poster with Albert Einstein on a bike and his famous advice: “Life is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

And my favorite of the whole trip was a small pouch that included Virginia Woolf’s quote:

“No need to Hurry.

No need to Sparkle.

No need to be Anybody,

But Oneself.”

What signs have you come across in your June and July travels? What lessons have they left you?

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Please join in on the discussion. In addition, please visit my personal blog at www.writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com to read my companion piece. You can follow me on Instagram at @writingfromtheheartwithbrian.

All the best, Brian.

37 thoughts on “A sign of the times”

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  4. “Tucking in days” are gone~ but not the wisdom. There’s so many nuggets of gold buried in your words! “Happy with a twist!” The signs made me giggle. Thank you for gifting us!

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    1. Thank you so much for kind comments. I had to laugh that you referred to it as nuggets of gold. When I used to help my kids with their papers in school, I would joke that I was “giving them gold.” Ha, ha, unfortunately, they never saw it the same way. They used to groan at me when I said that. Ha, ha. 🤪🤪🤪

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      1. It’s my blessing!
        Ha ha! I love it! Yes, you tell them I said so…lol (even though I’m sure they’ll still groan at their ages–or at least mine do, lol)! 🤣

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  8. Oh, I love ALL of these, Brian. But what I love most of all, is your willingness to listen. Whether it’s to your mom when you were young or in a beach shop now, you are “smart enough to give advice the benefit of the doubt.” So good!!

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  9. I love these, Brian! I think I came across the same sarcastic coasters on vacation last summer, and had a blast reading through them. The ones you’re picked are just great! We need more laughter in life.

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  11. I love these signs! So full of personality and wit. I love the Gone to Beach one too. May we aspire to that life! 😆😊 And I agree, advice from moms during childhood bedtimes provide such lasting comfort.

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  15. I went to a holistic fair at a spiritual center last weekend and saw a boy wearing a shirt that said, “Wicked Smaht!” I’m in the Pacific Northwest but recognized the New England shirt in a nano second. Because it reminded me of an inside joke I had with my Dad, I took it as a sign he was saying hello.

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  16. I haven’t done much travelling at all lately so maybe that is the lesson I need to learn and/or be reminded of! I do find though that sometimes I notice certain words that crop up repeatedly and I always pay attention to what they are trying to highlight.

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