Penny For Your Thoughts
By: Nancy Whitaker
They are not only fun to learn, but some of them are actually true. They are sayings that I have always lived by and was disappointed to find out that some just are not true.
My grandma was one who believed in old wives tales, moon signs, good luck and bad luck.
She had an antidote or a cure for just about everything. For instance, if we ever got burnt, she would would grab a stick of butter and rub it on the wound. I never questioned it and I still do it. In my mind, the burn always feels better with butter.
We always believed that going outside in the winter with wet hair caused us to catch a cold. To this day, I would rather shower and wash my hair at night and not go outside with wet hair. I found out that this is just not true. Wet hair doesn’t cause a cold; it is caused by people around us spreading a virus. Another saying I always thought was true was, “Feed a cold; starve a fever.” Actually this saying is partially true, because you need need to feed both. However, usually when one has a fever, they don’t feel like eating. So what do you eat to relieve the distress of a common cold?
You guessed it. It is chicken soup. The warm broth in the soup loosens mucous and the salt to flavor the broth soothes your sore throat.
New science also suggests the chicken meat itself boosts our immunity. There is nothing more comforting than chicken soup.
I have always been told that if I ate a lot of carrots, I would have the ability to see in the dark. We’d all love to have night-vision, but it isn’t going to happen. However, carrots are full of Vitamin A which does aid in healthier eyes. Of course, people will say, “Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?”
Can sucking your thumb as a child ruin your teeth?
Well, I was a thumb sucker as a kid and I don’t seriously believe that sucking your thumb can ruin your choppers.
It is things like candy and soda which gives you cavities.
Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Well this happens to bear some truth. In a study, it was found that if people over the age of 50 would eat an apple a day, that 8,500 heart attacks and strokes could be prevented or delayed. So let’s eat those apples! Have you experienced the phenomenon of eating a cheesy pizza for dinner and then having a scary, lucid dream that night? Well, this is so common and true that the old wives have been at it again, giving it a place in folklore. However, there are some scientific related studies that does prove that some of the components of cheese can cause bad dreams.
There are so many old sayings and wives tales, that it would be hard to prove if they were true or false.
But I still believe that if my hand itches, it means I am going to get some money, if my nose itches, someone is talking about me, if a bird flies into a window, someone is going to die, and if it thunders during a funeral, it means that the deceased has entered into Heaven.
Do you believe any old wives tales? Are you going to eat an apple a day or have a bad dream if you eat cheese before bed time?
Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny for Your Thoughts!
