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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 SUBSCRIBE DEADLINES 509 Greenwood Street Walter Geiger Nolan George $30 per year in Lamar and sur- The deadline for public notices Barnesville, Ga. 30204 Laura Geiger Rachel McDaniel rounding counties; $40 outside is noon Thursdays; news and 770-358-NEWS Tasha Webster the local area. advertising before noon Fridays. barnesville.com General Manager Includes 24/7 access to Early submission is appreciated. E-mail: news@barnesville.com Missy Ware barnesville.com