June 10, 1944

6/10/44 Dear folks, Your letter came yesterday. Thanks for the birthday greetings and the birthday ‘bucks’. The darndest thing! I never thought about Wed. being my birthday at all. Thur. I was talking to one of the guys about the age of fellows and he asked me how old I was and It soaked in that I must be 26 now. Some time I’ll forget my age. Farming must really be discouraging now. I reckon that if it hasn’t rained more you have a lot more of in cornered by now. In a way I feel sorrier for the boys than I do for Father causes he stews around so when things get behind. You stew around and burn up a lot of good energy, W.L. . It seems to me that the smart way to live is to be observant and draw conclusions as to which things you can do something about and which that you cant. And then the things that interfere that you can’t do anything about should be dismissed from your mind to make room for those that you can do something about. I reckon that the conflict comes in deciding which you can do something about. I’ts none of my business but it seems to me that the boys aren’t taking too much when they only take 2 nites a week in a busy time. Of course they are a little slower the next day. Say, Dad, why don’t you take a night off once in a while. I know you don’t work every night but you think every night. Your mind is a mussel just like your arm in a way. If you don’t ever rest it it gets tired. When you think about your farming all your waking hours and then even as you go to bed too it is just like trying to hold a big wiehgt over your head for 24 hours a day. You get tired and stale. Go to those Lions Club suppers. You’ll forget your troubles for one evening. You’ll be a lot fresher and think clearer the next day. One thing I make myself do is when I go to bed I don’t let myself think about anything, not anything. I have found that I sleep a lot better if I just make up my mind that I’m not thinking about work or play or anything at all. I sleep very good and seldom wake up till 5:30 and I nearly always hit it within a few min. I came across some rules for mental hygien the other day and I coppied then down. They were in a little paper put out by one of the CPS Mental Hospital Units. 1. Neither run away from Emotions, nor yet fight them. 2. Be efficient in what you do. 3. Have an objective attitude, learn to analyze your own conduct. 4. Do not accept hurry as a necessary part of modern life. 5. Build up and maintain a confidential relationship with some other person. 6. Keep work, play, rest, and exercise in their proper relitive proportions. 7. Don’t postpone or repress unpleasant questions---make some terms with every problem as it arrives. It is better to make a mistake then to refuse to come to a decision. Everyone who does anything makes mistakes. 8. Do not regret what is over and done with. 9. Do not worry over what other people think of or about anything you cannot help. 10. Recognize that your problems are fundimentaly the same as everyone else’s. I think tat I can profit some by these suggestions and I thought I’d pass them on. I suspect that by now Mom’s eye Dr. has found time to see her. I hope it is better. I notice you typed my letter. I don’t suppose that bothered you any, did it? It is time to go to breakfast now and I am out of anything much to write anyway. So Long. Yours Bernard