Photo: D. Paul Grahm, Mom Asleep, Circa 2016

“Monday 5 Things”™…..Thumper’s Theorem…..

 I’m sure that many of you whose moms have passed away, go through a Mother’s Day weekend with bittersweet thoughts. I know I do. Each year since my mom’s passing from Alzheimer’s, I’ve devoted the Monday after Mother’s Day to her memory. My mom was a gentle soul, who did not have an easy life growing up, but she always had a smile, a memory, or a story to share with anyone she met. I rarely ever heard her say a negative thing about anyone else.

As far back as I can recall into my childhood, she drummed into me, the “Thumper” approach to life. If she ever heard me being negative about anyone or anything, I would hear a clipped “Donald Paul… remember Thumper!” Mom using “Donald Paul” was the first give a way that I was doing something she didn’t agree with. I swear that she could hear a pin drop a block away. Today’s M5T reflects on words, spoken and unspoken, through quotes of others far more eloquent than I. Words that I will simply leave with you to ponder on this day, and this week.

1. Unsaid Words.

“Sometimes words are better left unsaid. Other times, those unspoken words could have made all the difference.” ~ Don Zantamata, author, artist, photographer

2. The Weight of Words.

“Words have weight, something once said cannot be unsaid. Meaning is like a stone dropped into a pool; the ripples will spread, and you cannot know what back they wash against.” ~ Philippa Gregory, English historical novelist

3. Wise Men & Fools.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something.” Plato, Greek philosopher, and student of Socrates

4. No Regrets.

“I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.” ~ Socrates, Athenian thinker and one of the first moral philosophers of ethics and thought.

5. Thumper’s Wisdom.

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” ~ Thumper, rabbit, Bambi’s friend, and habitual foot thumper who, as far as it is known, never studied Socrates or Plato.

Here’s to a week of taking chances to say things you usually wouldn’t; to knowing when hold your tongue before saying things that will be destructive, and to having the wisdom to know the difference between the two. And thank you, mom.

© 2022 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 10 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T ™.  Each Monday, Paul shares his observations, thoughts and passions on people, life, and culture.

You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can also be found on Instagram @dpgraham and at www.imageGRAHAM.com . Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com