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4A ®Ijt l)pra(b <©a??ttf Tuesday, May 18,2021
Opinions
Graduates: Attack life with gusto
High school seniors
comprising the Class of
2021 are preparing for
commencement exer
cises in which they will
listen to some soon-to-be
forgotten speeches and
walk across the stage to
receive a diploma. This
is the culmination of long
years of hard work and,
of course, a lot of fun,
too.
The Class of 2021 has
been forged in the fire.
They have survived the
COV1D-19 pandemic that
paralyzed this nation for
months. It bred fear. It
bred distrust in govern
ment and elected offi
cials. But, it made all of
us who lived through it
stronger for the experi
ence.
It is my fervent prayer
we never have to experi
ence such a thing again.
Graduates, you are
living in a new, post
pandemic age. You need
not necessarily live on,
or commute to, a col
lege campus to get your
next diploma. Distance
learning has been around
for a long time but the
pandemic has forced
the development of new
technology that has
made it easier.
Many of your peers
are rethinking college
altogether. Learning a
trade and plying it can be
very lucrative. Consider
technical school. You
might consider
Georgia’s bur
geoning film in
dustry. Military
careers are also
attractive and
offer college op
tions while you
serve.
Whether you
go to college
or technical
school or not,
get a job. Even
a part time job
will do. At this
very moment,
small busi
nesses are begging for
workers. It is a good time
to get in on the ground
floor. Be willing to work
hard to make yourself in
dispensable to your new
employer.
Give 110%
at this job and
everything you
do. If you are
willing to work
hard, you have
the vast major
ity of the people
beaten from the
start. Employ
ers value hard
work and they
will notice those
who are willing
to do it.
Here is some
more advice.
Attack life with gusto.
Seize the day every day.
Each dawn brings with it
new opportunities. Be on
the lookout for those that
dovetail with your ambi
tions. You become whom
you hang out with so
hang out with achievers.
Wherever you end up,
stay positive. The world
already has enough peo
ple who are not happy
if they don’t have some
thing to complain about.
Take this old adage to
heart: ‘If you can’t say
something nice, don’t say
anything at all’. Nobody-
not even another whiner
- likes a whiner.
Remember that good
things rarely happen
after midnight. Again,
be careful of whom you
hang out with and where
you hang out. Have fun
but don’t become a sta
tistic. Find a careful bal
ance between work and
play. Be an early bird.
Get up and get after it
every morning. The right
people will notice.
Finally, never miss an
opportunity to do a good
deed for another. You
will see good manifest in
your life as a result. Bad
deeds are likewise multi
plied and come home to
roost. So do good.
Congratulations on
your graduation. Good
luck and Godspeed!
Walter Geiger is editor and pub
lisher of The Herald-Gazette and Pike
County Journal Reporter. He can
be reached by email at news@
barnesville.com.
GEIGER’S
COUNTER
Walter Geiger
Editor & Publisher
Kudzu and Clay:
Brokeback Granny
My granny
likes to fall down
on a seasonal
basis. Bushes.
Concrete.
Door handles.
None of them
stand a chance
when granny is
around. Poor
thing, it’s not
really her fault,
she suffered a
brain trauma de
cades ago that
affects her balance. She
now has to walk like she
is constantly on a cruise
ship in the middle of a
hurricane. At least, that’s
what 1 think it is. She did
take a lot of cruises in
the past, so that could be
it too.
Everyone has their
kryptonite. Granny has
two. Gravity and mono
sodium glutamate, MSG,
the tasty preservative
that makes Chinese food
taste like Chinese food. If
it weren’t for those two
things 1 imagine the lady
would go on living for
ever. Unfortunately, she’s
drawn to both Chinese
food and falling down
like a moth to a flame.
The injuries from
falling are pretty self-
explanatory. Broken
bones, bruises, excru
ciating pain, possible
opioid addictions. The
MSG, 1 should explain.
MSG isn’t really some
thing a lot of folks think
about. Many years ago
there was some uproar
about it being bad for
you or causing heart
problems but that’s not
where 1 am going with
this. All it takes is one
little drop of this stuff
to hit Granny’s stomach
and the reaction rivals
any of the early Manhat
tan Project experiments.
I’m talking air-raid signal
blaring, you better run
for the gas mask type
of explosion. Whenever
she sees MSG on a box
of something she’ll say,
“That MSG will make you
run!” One reaction even
caused her to cut across
seven lanes of Atlanta
traffic to make an emer
gency stop in front of a
check cashing place at
the airport.
1 had never consid
ered what would happen
if both of these events
occurred at the same
time. Lucky for me 1 got
to experience it a few
years ago. 1 believe it
was Thanksgiving and
the martinis were flow
ing, next thing you know
granny’s laying on the
floor and the EMT’s are
showing up. Her pupils
were fine and
she could
wiggle her toes
so we figured
we’d just put
her to bed and
not deal with
all the hospital
stuff so late in
the evening.
In the morn
ing things
weren’t better
so we took her
to the doctor
to check the ol’ gray
mare out. The doctor
asked her to remove her
shirt but she removed
her pants instead. When
asked later why she did
that, she replied, “He
was a tall drink of water,
wasn’t he?” After the
exam and some X-rays,
we found out she had
fractured her back. That
explained why she was
barely mobile.
The thing about going
to the doctor for hours
on end is that it works
up a heck of a hunger.
“Guess what? There’s
a Chinese restaurant
on the way home. We
should stop there.” So
we did. Usually, Granny
asks if the dish has any
MSG in it before she
orders, but 1 guess the
opioids were doing their
job and she failed to in
terrogate the waiter. We
ate and left.
I was unaware that we
were driving the Enola
Gay home. About half
way through the drive,
Granny perked up from
her coma. “1 think there
was MSG in that chick
en,” she said. 1 knew then
1 had to put the pedal to
the metal. 1 looked over
and Granny was dig
ging her talons into the
armrest and doing some
sort of old lady Lamaze
breathing.
1 pulled up to her
house, opened her ga
rage, and rushed to my
trunk to get her walker.
She wasn’t there. 1 asked
my wife what happened.
She said, shocked, “She
ran!” 1 went to check on
granny but 1 couldn’t get
through the front door
without a respirator. My
80-year-old grandmother
was able to jump out of
a car and sprint, maybe
even doing a cartwheel
on the way to the bath
room, with a broken
back. A woman who
could barely walk to her
mailbox on a normal day
without risking major
injury. 1 asked her how
she was able to accom
plish such a feat. She
replied, “1 told you, MSG
will make you run!”
KUDZU &
CLAY
Chris Walter
IF GRADUATION CREATES AN EMPTY NEST
ATH0ME, HOW WILLYOU DEAL WITH IT? ^
MAEHEMM
“Mat a nice
sewing room my
girl's bedroom
will make!”
LUCKY MAM
'Tmnot
losing a son-
I'm gaining a
man cave!”
BEAWILDURD
“Imagine-life
without his socks
and underwear
to pickup!?
KENT BIGGER
“Empty?!! My
oldest is 30-
an'still hasn't
moved out!”
Commissioner Nancy Thrash reappointed
to serve on ACCG's Board Of Managers
Lamar County Com
missioner Nancy Thrash
was recently reappointed
and sworn in to
serve on the As
sociation County
Commissioners
of Georgia (ACCG
or Georgia’s
County Asso
ciation) Board
of Managers to
represent Geor
gia on the Board
of Directors for
the National Association
of Counties (NACo).
“The Board of Man
agers, newly installed,
represents the resil
iency and competency of
county officials through
out Georgia,” stated
Executive Director Dave
Wills. “Those who have
already been in service
on the Board, and those
who are joining for their
first year of service, will
continue to help Georgia
and its counties navigate
turbulent political and
economic waters
created by the
pandemic and
other factors. I
am looking for
ward to working
with the Board of
Managers as we
begin the return
to economic and
operational nor
malcy as ACCG
continues its mission of
advancing the interests
of Georgia’s counties and
the people they serve.”
“1 am honored to not
only represent Lamar
County and the State of
Georgia but over 2,300
counties throughout the
United States. I would
like to thank ACCG and
my fellow commissioners
for reappointing me so
1 can continue my work
on a Local, State and Fed
eral level for Georgia’s
counties,” Commissioner
Thrash stated.
ACCG is Georgia’s
county association
and works on behalf
of county officials and
their communities by
providing public policy
and legislative advocacy,
leadership development,
civic and community
engagement initiatives,
insurance and retirement
programs that special
ize in local government
needs and other cost
saving programs. Formed
in 1914 when county
officials came together to
help fund the state’s first
highway department,
ACCG today serves as a
catalyst for advancing
Georgia’s counties. For
more information, go to
www.accg.org.
THRASH
Finance Club Members include (l-r): Isabella Hubbard, Riley Kate Thacker, Constance Pot
ter, Parker Deignan, Adam Boggs, Jack Hancher, McKenzie English and Rylee Cook.
St. George's finance club
The SGES Finance
Club, under President
Adam Boggs, entered two
teams into the Georgia
Stock Market Game
organized by the Georgia
Council on Economic
Education. The Stock
Market Game is an excit
ing simulation that gives
students in grades 4-12
the opportunity to invest
a virtual $100,000 for
10 weeks in real stocks,
bonds, and mutual funds.
At the end of the 10
weeks, teams meeting all
the requirements with
the highest total equity
are eligible for a variety
of prizes and awards.
This statewide com
petition included partici
pants in both public and
independent schools.
Both of St. George’s
teams did exceptionally
well!
The team under team
captain Parker Deignan,
placed first in the District
3 congressional district.
At a recent virtual
awards ceremony, this
St. George’s Stock Market
Game team was recog
nized statewide.
FLASHBACK
In honor of
Elizabeth Sellers
May 16-22
10 years ago
The Barnesville-
Lamar County tor
nado relief fund topped
$104,000 in donations in
just under three weeks
time. FEMA was prepar
ing to shut down its
disaster relief center at
the recreation depart
ment gym as Lamar
continued to recover
from the April 28 killer
tornado.
25 years ago
Local veterinarian Dr.
Jack Tuttle was honored
for his soil and water
conservation efforts.
He had served as a
conservation district
supervisor for 27 years.
Dr. Tuttle was the GACD
man of the year in 1995.
50 years ago
Stacey Lawson, the
16-year-old daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J.
Lawson, Jr. of Milner,
was to be presented at
a piano recital May 21
at First Baptist Church
in Griffin. Bach, Brahms
and other classics were
to be performed. Stacey
attended Birch Street
School in Milner and
was a student of piano
instructor Mrs. Tom
Brake of Griffin.
100 years ago
Commencement
exercises were held at
the Sixth District A&M
School. Events included
a debate, sermon and a
play. Class officers were
Warren N. Coppedge,
president; J. Gideon
Snow, vice president;
Eva Taylor, secretary;
and Pauline Coppedge,
treasurer.
24/7 news,
bamesville.com
barnesville.com
770.358.NEWS
P.0. Box 220
Publishers
Staff
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