Life Lessons Learned

The more time I spend researching the lives of the women who dared to venture west in the mid 1850s, the more I realize that some of life’s best lessons came from those brave souls. For example, Tamsen Donner, wife of the leader of the fatal expedition over the Sierra Mountains learned that one should “never take no shortcuts and hurry along as fast as you can.” Sharpshooter and entertainer, Annie Oakley learned to “aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.” Actress and professional beauty Lillie Langtry learned that, “Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead.” I admire the aforementioned ladies and appreciate the lessons learned, but feel certain I wouldn’t have such lofty sentiments to offer after attempting to blaze a trail across uncharted territories. I don’t think I would have made it as far as the Rocky Mountains without crying. And I definitely wouldn’t have had any inspirational lessons to offer. I don’t care much for the great outdoors and I require modern plumbing. That’s hardly the quote the U.S. government could have used to persuade people to travel beyond Independence, Missouri. Just getting to a wagon train stop would have proved a challenge for me – I have a hard time trying to navigate my way around the web. Just when did all this computer stuff happen anyway? You know, one day I was playing Pong, the next thing I know Wes, the gas meter guy with the eye patch, has an uplink to satellite on his tool belt. But I digress… I think the best lesson offered by a frontier woman came from entertainer Klondike Kate Rockwell who said, “the quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.”