Life In General #2

I have another story to share concerning the truths we believe. I mentioned in my profile that I was born in California but really grew up in South Dakota. Because of this I didn't get to see my grandmother for many years.

My grandmother was a character. She was a strong minded woman that totally believed everything she said. Here's my example.

While visiting her just after I graduated, we did an afternoon of driving up and down the California coast close to her home in Santa Cruz. We stopped at Monterey and visited the pier. My sister, Sher, Grandma Michael and myself were sitting in a small cafe having a light snack when Grandma Michael pointed out the fishing trawlers that were docked.

I have to stop here and describe a fishing trawler for some people. It's usually not a LARGE ship but it is significant in size with a tall mast and what looks like two arms on either side. These "arms" can be open or closed upwards. Grandma points to the ship and tells me in a very knowledegable tone of voice, "They need to have those on the ships in order to balance the weight so they don't tip over."

I was 17 and knew nothing about the ocean and ships. I totally believed her. Just after she tells me this Grandma Michael has to use the ladies room. Thank goodness for my sister! Sher leans over and tells me, "Those are the nets to catch the fish, they are not to "balance" the ship." She knew that I would have totally taken Grandma Michael's word for the truth and I would have gone around telling everyone that those "arms" were for balancing the ship. It's crazy what you believe if you don't have any other information to go on.