COMMON SENSE 101
ILLUSTRATION BY DANA SUMMERS
"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." — W.C. Fields
My grandfather was a bit of a Will Rogers type who always had something folksy yet profound to say — although usually minus the humor. When I earned my undergraduate degree from William Jewell College, he gave me two presents. One was a silver dollar (minted the year he was born, 1902). The other was a little card that read, “No college ever gave a degree in common sense!” It was a simple version of Victor Hugo’s, “Common sense is in spite of, not the result of, education.” During a visit to my grandfather’s store after a long week of teaching, he asked if I had made anybody mad. I replied that I didn’t think so. “Are you sure you showed up at work?” he asked. “You can’t teach without challenging someone.” As a child, to earn my candy allowance, my chores at the store were seasonal. In the winter months, I carried coal for the potbelly stove. In the summer, I was required to grow a vegetable garden because my grandfather believed that “everyone should know how to grow their own food.” Often, I’d clean the century-old wooden plank floors by sprinkling sawdust on them and then sweeping it up. If I ever sought praise for my competence, my grandfather’s answer was always the same: “Don’t expect a compliment for just doing your job.” Perhaps the paramount lesson I learned from my grandfather was of the
32 W I N T E R P A R K M A G A ZI N E | FALL 2017
value of a strong work ethic. I was surrounded by a whole family who never missed work and never stayed home — even when they probably should have. I’m not sure if that’s a strength or a weakness, but I’m a subscriber to Shakespeare’s contention that “there is plenty of time to sleep in the grave.” Over the past 20 years, I’ve conducted more than 800 Candlelight Processionals, 300 Bach Festival programs and hundreds of other concerts. And while my grandfather would be indifferent to my being a conductor, he would respect me for having never canceled, called in sick or made an excuse. I feel a bit like Ella Fitzgerald when she noted, “Even iron wears out. I think if I ever just had to sit down, I’d say to myself, ‘What am I going to do now?’” Woody Allen once noted that “about 90 percent of success is showing up.” It’s trite, but does make an important point. The most difficult part of accomplishing any task is getting started — and showing up is the first step. Now, don’t think I can’t procrastinate, because in 1973 I purchased a book entitled Do It Now: How to Stop Procrastinating. As you might have guessed, I haven’t read it yet. "I was obliged to work hard. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed just as well." — J.S. Bach (1685-1750)