Learning About Wanting

With the economy where it is right now you hear a lot about people wanting different things and most are having to do without. Papaw taught me really early in life about saying I wanted something. Being raised by grandparents you would think I would have never even had the thought cross my mind about wanting anything. If I whined and asked for something more than once I knew the same remark would be made no matter what it was or where we were. Papaw would just say, "Yeah, people in hell are wanting ice water, too." That was the end of the discussion and I knew better than ask again. I probably had no concept of hell at such a young age but I knew our ice water tasted mighty good and could imagine yearning for it. I learned that the best way to get something was to just mention how good it looked or how I could really use it. Saturday afternoon would finally come and we would go to town and sure enough I got to buy the "admired" item if I didn't say, "I want that."