The Dermody Family: Musing on Mondays vol.6

Journals/Blogs

President Kimball said, "People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life's experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted."

Build Wisely

A HOME IS MUCH MORE THAN A HOUSE BUILT OF LUMBER, BRICK, OR STONE. A HOME IS MADE OF LOVE, SACRIFICE, AND RESPECT. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOMES WE BUILD. WE MUST BUILD WISELY, FOR ETERNITY IS NOT A SHORT VOYAGE. THERE WILL BE CALM AND WIND, SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW, JOY AND SORROW. BUT IF WE REALLY TRY, OUR HOME CAN BE A BIT OF HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH. THE THOUGHTS WE THINK, THE DEEDS WE DO, THE LIVES WE LIVE NOT ONLY INFLUENCE THE SUCCESS OF OUR EARTHLY JOURNEY, THEY ALSO MARK THE WAY TO OUR ETERNAL GOALS.

--THOMAS S.MONSON

Monday, June 23, 2008

Musing on Mondays vol.6

Have you ever wondered where some of the common phrases we say have originated from? I think about stuff like this all the time. I have a list of the little things I hear people say and I wonder to myself, why do we say that? Every Monday I am going to post a phrase and share with you my research as to why we say some of the things we do.

Rubbed the wrong way:

Sometimes we do or say things that are offensive to others, even when our intentions are pure and innocent enough. Insensitive, clumsy, or irritating words or actions are the source for the commonly used phrase "rubbed the wrong way."

This phrase dates back to colonial times when servants were given the chore of cleaning wide planked, oak, hardwood floors. The job was hard and tedious. The process was done by first completing a "wet rub," and then finishing with a "dry rub." The rubbing had to be done with the grain of the wood or it would leave noticeable streaks. It would not go over well with the master if the home's floor looked streaked and dirty. It would have been better for the servant to have ignored the chore, than to complete it with streaks. This clumsy and irritating completion of the job would bring embarrassment to the family when company arrived, and would have labeled the servant as inept.

Now, the phrase applies to any situation where someone is annoying another, and not just to the cleaning of hardwood floors.

One other take on being "rubbed the wrong way" comes from which direction you pet an animal, like a cat. Proper petting is from head to tail, rather than from tail to head. I never knew they had a preference, but I think it is intuitive to pet animals in the "right" direction. Apparently, if you rub the wrong direction it makes the animal angry.

So watch the direction you pet animals, and bridle your tongue, when speaking, to refrain from giving someone/animal a good ol' rub down in the wrong direction!

As always, if you have a common phrase that you would like to know what it means, why we say it, and where it comes from, then leave me a comment and I will do the research for you. Happy musing!