NEAFC 70th Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

or the substance of ignorance. That’s why we have critics. Well,
we know Cousin came into this world with very few adjustments.
Not much dust on his chalk line. [Laughter]
Some say he didn’t grow up on the farm, he just came of age.
[Laughter]
More button holes than buttons. [Laughter]
Others say that God forgot to put a bubble in his level.
[Laughter]
Let me tell you, if you pay attention sometimes to those folks
that you think don’t know of, they may be saying more important
things than you are listening to right now. [Laughter]
This is it. I’m just going to read it and I hope you understand
it. There’s a culture clash here. Now, this is a lady who was a
summer resident. This is called, "Happy New Year everybody,
free wheelers testimony."
Mrs. Striker, a summer resident, held a meditation and selfimprovement
seminar at the Town Hall. Her purpose was to
help local folks achieve inner happiness. She’s added to the
meetings by giving personal testimony. Mrs. Striker said, "My
search for peace has taken me through the depths of alcohol,
drugs, and sex to the university to study the world’s 10 religions
and to live alone on the top of the Canadian Rockies to join a
community in Nebraska and become a vegetarian. I have had
three weddings and three divorces. Finally I was in a small,
wooden hut in a cold, barren peak in Tibet. An ancient man
asked, ’Is happiness inside or outside’ I at last looked inside and
for the first time found happiness in myself. Tuned in to myself.
And to stay healthy I jog three miles a day."
Mrs. Striker continued, "I have opened up my personal life to
you to encourage each of you also now to take that first step to
expand yourselves to reach in and reach out for happiness."
A freewheeler had wandered in to see why the Town Hall
lights were on and perhaps catch a ride home. Feeling the
strength of hard cider, he strode forward. "Lost my teeth and
the old lady kicked me out and had to go and stay in a hunting
camp and lived on salt pork and ’coons and johnnycake. One
day the fire went out and I tried to keep warm by pissing in bed.
Ladies, it don’t work no matter what the folks tell you. I had to
get up and tried to start afire with green wet wood. There in my
long, wet union suit, just as cold inside as outside. I thought,
’There just ain’t no damn happiness in this world.’ As soon as
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