“The Johnson Traits” - “Take it Easy”
“Take it Easy”
My sisters and I always joke about “The Johnson Traits”. Whenever one of is being over the top. Showing out. We kid one another, “Ok, that Johnson gene is showing”
These are the traits we all inherited from our father, Loomis.
A determined work ethic. Never call in sick. Never complain. “Go put your boots on we got work to do.”
My father worked at a paper mill, Union Camp Corporation in Prattville, Alabama most of his career. He NEVER called in sick.
He was raised the son of share croppers. Picking cotton and picking sand lugs in a tobacco patch. His mother, Dorthy instilled in him the unfailing ability to work, then work harder, then work even more. This determined work ethic was born out of necessity. His alcoholic father W.A. created that neccesity. A life steeped in fear, where a wife, with a young daughter and young son had to work just to survive.
This is an example of his work ethic. Once when I was in middle school, my father was sick enough to think maybe he should go to the doctor. A rarity. So he told my mom to pack his lunch box early because to was going to swing by the doctor’s office ON THE WAY TO WORK (the evening shift) and maybe get a shot.
The doctor examined him and told him he had double pneumonia and was going straight to the hospital to be admitted. My Dad was MAD AS FIRE. Why, because he had to go to work. He did NOT want to miss work. Not because to loved his job, HE DID NOT. It was because it was his duty, his responsibility, his obligation.
One of his core values was the priority of WORK. I NEVER saw him not answer a work call. HE NEVER turned down a call-out for work. Not once. Not ever. NEVER!
Me and my sisters inherited this gene. I thought about my Dad many times in my career. When work calls, I could hear his voice. “Put your boots on, we got work to do.” “Do it and make it look easy.”
Self Reliant to a fault. NEVER ask for help. Thankfully the Lord sent help a few times.
Need a new barn? Well lets’ build it. Want a swimming pool?, Let’s build that too. Need a new roof? We can do that.
My father built us a 30 ft by 40 ft swimming pool, (OK it was more like a cement pond), and prior to that he had never laid a cement block in his life.
Once when our house needed a new roof, he told me to start removing the front side shingles, and when he got home AFTER WORK, we would then start re-shingling the front roof top. Thank God for sending my girlfriend’s Dad, (Mr. Sonny Hood) to come show us what to do. My Father was self reliant to a fault.
Me and my sisters are all self reliant. We would rather do 10 times the work than ask anyone for help. Even between sibling we would NEVER ask for help. Figure out a way to get it done and DO IT.
Extremely Competitive. “Young man, I can do more one arm pushups than you can do with both arms, and I’m an old man.” Then he did it!
This story exemplifies what I mean. When I was about 15 years old, my church would take the youth to Panama City Beach to a Christian camp called “Periwinkle by the Sea”. So my Dad would have been in his late 30’s.
One of the young guys in the church was a strapping high school senior named Mark. Mark was about 18 years old, tall, lean and athletic. A quarterback in his high school. He was feeling his oats and was kinda tussling with my dad in a playful young bull kind of way. When my dad told young Mark, “don’t bite off more than you can chew, son”
Mark chirped back, “Aw, you’re an old man. You can’t take me.”
To which my dad replied, “Son, You’re in the prime of life and I’m an old man and I can still do more pushups than you.
“NO WAY!”, Mark laughed.
My dad laughed, “Son I can do more ONE armed pushups than you can do with both arms, and I’m and old man.”
“BET”
“Ok, show me what you got kid.”
So young Mark gets down on the ground and starts doing pushups. Somewhere around 20 pushups he starts getting shaky and pops up and says truimphantly, “That ought to do it”. “Your turn old man”.
My dad gets down on the ground and starts popping off pushups. One armed pushup. 1,2,3, ..12, 13, 14,…18, 19…20….. Then stops for a pregnant pause for effect and continues, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, …27, …. 28, …..29, ……...30.
Legend!!
My father got a double dose of a competitive spirit. My younger sister Kristen, same. She is fierce. Our daily Wordle competition is friendly BUT underneath it’s really a blood sport, winner take all with a laugh. Both of my sons are competitive but my youngest son Cole, OMG. He can make holding your breath a competition all while talking smack.
Anxiety (Bonus Round).
If you had met my father you would think he was confident. Self assured. He was, on the outside. But inside, in a place he seldom allowed other people to see, even his own family, he was full of anxiety. I didn’t get to see this side of him very much until late in his life. When there are less days in front of the horse, than there are days riding in the back of the wagon you are pulling, you start thinking. Age has a way to making us more venerable. More reflective.
There is a song from the 70’s by the popular rock and roll group “The Eagles”. The Song is “Take it Easy”. Part of the lyrics are:
“Take it easy, take it easy”
“Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy”
“Lighten up while you still can”
“Don’t even try to understand”
“Just find a place to make your stand, and,”
“Take it easy”
One of the Johnson traits is also that hidden anxiety. Listening to the voice inside your head. Letting the sound of your own wheels drive your crazy.
Me and my sisters have that trait as well. Along with other family members.
UNLIKE my Mother, She is a “CHANCY”, and Chancy’s don’t have a worry in the world. They don’t care if the sun don’t shine. In the days ahead I will write about the “Chancy Traits”. Can you keep a secret? (that’s a clue).
For better and for worse, those are our Johnson Traits.
“Take it Easy” my friends. I love ya’ll.