I have written about the importance of getting a good education before and how it changed my life in a positive way. Education was for me what Will Durant said; “Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.” I remember reading the story of the twist-mouth family many years ago and it illustrates in a very strange way the point I am trying to make. “The Twist-Mouth Family” is a ‘Massachusetts Tall Tale.’ The story goes as follows: “A while back there was a family I know of—a mother, a father, and several children. Four members of the family had mouths that were twisted into strange shapes. The mother’s mouth twisted up while the father’s mouth twisted down. The sister’s mouth twisted left while the younger brother’s mouth twisted right. The eldest son John’s mouth was perfectly normal. When John grew up, his parents sent him to college. He was the first person in his family to get a college education, and everyone was eager to hear what he had to say when he came home for his first vacation. Everyone sat up late talking. When it came time to go to bed, the Mother said: “Papa, I cannot find the candle snuffer. Will you blow out the candle in the sitting room?” “Yes I will,” said the Father. He blew as hard as he could. But his mouth was twisted down so that when he blew, the air tickled his chin.
“Well now, Mama, I think you should blow out the candle,” said he. “Yes I will,” said she. She blew as hard as she could. But her mouth was twisted up so that when she blew, the air made her hair stand up. “You know, Mary,” she said to her daughter, “ I think perhaps you should blow out the candle.” “Yes I will,” said Mary. She blew as hard as she could. But her mouth twisted to the left, so that when she blew all the air rushed over her cheek. “Dick, I think tonight you should blow out the candle,” said Mary to her younger brother. “Yes I will,” said Dick. He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could. But his mouth was twisted to the right, so that when he blew all the air went into his right ear. Then Dick said, “John, maybe you should blow out the candle.” “Yes I will,” said John. He blew as hard as he could. And since his mouth was straight, the candle went right out. They all cheered. Patting John on the shoulder, the father said to his two younger children:
“Well now, I hope you both have learned how important it is to get a good education.”
I was the only one to finish college and even go on and complete advanced degrees in my immediate family, and probably the one least expected to. If the reader of this brief thought is wondering the answer is, “Yes, I can blow out a candle.” Before I decided to go to college I had planned on laying brick all my life. Even as a young man I could tell that that was hardly a job for someone who wanted to enjoy life and a family. Bending over to get mortar (mud) on my trowel to spread on the brick and then to bend over to get the next brick to lay in the mortar, several hundred times a day. That is a back-breaking job. After work a bricklayer is ready for bed. Even though a bricklayer makes good money to provide for his family, he is often too tired to enjoy them. Most college graduates find work that is less strenuous and less taxing on their backs. That does not mean that they do not work hard and may go home at night mentally tired and even stressed. The work is usually a little more challenging mentally and less challenging physically. My first job out of college was as a high school counselor, a job that I enjoyed very much. I would never have had that opportunity without my first degree. The second job was at a college, a beginning-level administrator, and I would never had gotten that position without a master’s degree. Without a Doctoral degree I would never have become the Dean of Student Administrative Services, at a relatively large university. Depending on what a person wants to do with their life, many vocations require education beyond high school. Even getting an education does not guarantee that you will get a position that you were trained for. You may have to move to another part of the country. An education makes you prepared to move into a position when one becomes available. An employer will usually assume that a person with a degree will have more value for the company than one without, who is applying for the same position. You have to keep looking and be ready when the job is ready for you. And,
Yes! You will always be able to blow out a candle, as well.