I am quite sure all of you have encountered people who tell you in conversation all about their degrees.

Just as you have also met people who tell you how rich they are.

I am also sure you have met many people who have no degrees. Many who did not even attend 12 years of schooling? Some you have met appear to have no more than a minimal income. Yet they have more money in the bank than many who try to out do the “Joneses”.

I have found most intelligent people need not inform you of how smart they are because of their higher levels of learning.

But I have learned more in my life from people who are self taught in many subjects. Perhaps common sense is one of those subjects. The people who see only in shades of black and white and contradict shades of grey seem to learn less.

Our older generations are pretty darned smart, even if not in book learning. They could endure more and survive on much less. They had to have acquired these survival methods from other people’s trials and errors. Had it not been for their endurance and grit, we would not have become the country that we are.

Of course, common sense alone will not allow one to do a lot of jobs. But combined with education should leave one’s mind open to learning new ideas, accept others for who they are, not what they have or their earthly possessions.

One of the greatest talents of all is the art of listening. I know many who can not wait until you have put the period at the end of your sentences until they have interjected their own opinions on the topic.

People who are so set in their convictions, unwilling to listen to others opinions and idea, are often left in a corner talking to themselves. For some reason they wonder why, that is if they even notice.

A tree does have many limbs, but they are all connected to the base of the tress. People of all colors, gender, and locations are more alike than they are different. But to understand this, it takes communication.

We too often judge others by their appearance, rather then look inside them. Others who refuse to accept change make little progress. By thinking we have done things this way for years, we often lose site of how a new way could work better.

First impressions are set in many of our minds. Those who can admit those first impressions were wrong may have found a new friend or teacher.

I have found less rude people in West Virginia than any place I have ever lived. I have also found those few rude ones have chosen to live in our wonderful state.

I used to say we didn’t allow plastic people to live in our state, but since coming back home, I found a few of them have crossed over our borders. But we can’t be fooled easily; we spot those plastic people immediately.

West Virginia has often taken bad raps over the years. All we natives can attest to that. But again, those who have negative jokes to tell, or say, just don’t understand it is Almost Heaven West Virginia.

So, being a native, you need not tell me how degree smart you are, nor how many possessions you have. Because I am not impressed. Some of the most intelligent people I’ve met live up or have lived up a holler with not much book learnin’. And what are you going to do with all those material things you’ve collected? I do know one thing for sure, you can’t taken them with you when you die.