I am absolutely positive that these 2 words used together were never part of my father’s vocabulary. I’m not completely confident that he even knew what they looked liked let alone meant. Example… we were a family of 4 and tomatoes were a popular ingredient. Most families would have 5-7 plants but not my father. He believed in the ‘more is better’ philosophy so if we had less than 100 plants of at least 5 varieties, he would not be happy.
Another example… you can take the boy out of the farm, but you can never take the farm out of the boy could easily be applied to Dad. He didn’t grow up on a farm, his father was a railroad engineer, so I’m not certain where he got this love. At one point he owned 2 farms (both purchased from his uncles), the side of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, and another land purchase. My brother and my growing up included many, many, many trips to the garden at one of the farms.
The point in all this is that my Dad’s approach to life (never small scale) was passed on. There seems to be a mindset in farmers that is always upbeat, positive, and never gives up that became part of my brother and my mindset. It was enhanced by my mother who never saw a problem that was beyond solving. This, to me, is a blessing because their thinking forms a mindset foundation that is extremely strong.
However… you do realize that ‘size’ is individually defined? What may be enormous to you may not be all that overwhelming to someone else. My point is that this is the point – what’s true for you, is your standard and it doesn’t need to be someone else; nor do you need to change yours because it doesn’t ‘fit’ your abilities and interests. You do, though, need to know your definition. But never allow your vision of size defeat you – you may be stronger, brighter, more equipped than you realize. You’ll never know what you can accomplish hiding behind what is never attempted.
