I woke up a couple of days ago with one of my grandma's phrases running through my mind. "I have to go to the bathroom so bad I can taste it." It might take a minute for that to sink in, but once it does, you'll say "ewwwwwww," just like everybody else who ever heard her say it, and in the next moment you'll start laughing because you'll know exactly what she meant.
That's the thing about sayings that get passed on from one generation to the next. Sometimes they are funny. Sometimes they are a little tacky. But they almost always have an element of truth embedded in them or they wouldn't stand the test of time. Okay, well, a few of them get passed on because they are so hilarious that they must be passed on whether or not they contain any truth, but you get the idea.
Grandma was more than just a one hit wonder. Every time drivers (especially motorcyclists) would pass her, or drive faster than she thought they ought to, she would say, "Keep it up buddy! The graveyard's not full yet." I can remember her saying this when I was a young boy and thinking that it was a little harsh, but she certainly made her point.
I love keeping sayings like this alive. I can just envision the next generation in my family breaking out one of my grandma's sayings at a family reunion and cracking everybody up. Followed by the question that must be asked, "Where in the world did you come up with that line?"—which of course opens the door to tell people about a woman they've never met, but will feel a little closer to, in an odd way, as they leave.
