Lickety-Split

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Becky Dingle

Dear Reader:

As I was watering yesterday the card tag fell off the planter-written on the yellow petunias card was Proven Winner-” Lickety-Split.”

I started smiling to myself … I hadn’t heard that expression in a long time-though it was a favorite of mother’s trying to get all three of us children ready for school each day.

The expression dates back to the mid-1800’s… the origin includes a popular item of the time known as a ” licket rag.” Before the invention of paper towels … licket rags would clean up a spill with one ” lick” in a ” split ” second… as fast as ” Lickety-split. ”

I feel sure I used the same expression on my own children growing up-but these days I am free to do more ” moseying” than ” Lickety-splitting!” Deadlines are at a precious minimum, meetings pretty much non-existent which leaves me in the loveliest period of my life to date-my Just Being stage of life!

And right now my being is heading to John and Mandy’s with Doodle and Harvey for a Memorial Day barbecue! Life is fun again!

So until tomorrow… May we all find that special time in our lives when ” dead-ends” turn into ” life-ends.”

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

Happy news-Ashley got home a couple of days ago in time for the holiday weekend! Thank all of you for the prayers!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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