Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York, recalls her father’s no-nonsense responses to minor injuries when she was a child: After making sure she was really all right, he’d say, It’s far enough from your heart; it won’t kill you. Other times he might ask, What’d you do, fall and step on it? Either way, those comments were always enough to distract her from crying. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Far Enough From Your Heart Not to Kill You”
Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York sent us this remembrance.
On the farm, there wasn’t much sympathy for whining,
So my pop had a couple of favorite sayings when I’d hurt myself.
After he’d made sure I was really okay, he’d say,
It’s far enough from your heart, it won’t kill you.
It’s far enough from your heart.
Or else he’d say, what’d you do, fall in step on it?
Which just doesn’t make any sense, but it’s going to distract you from your boo-boo, right?
Exactly.
Well, we hold the phone close to our hearts, so when you call, we’ll see those little lights go up.
