When I was a young man growing up in a small town in the Ozarks, there was a man who was considered the meanest man alive. He was mean! He was also a drunk, starting fights, causing trouble. He was a real villain.

There was also in that town, an old man... just the opposite of our town ne-er do-well. This old gent was Uncle Rice. Uncle Rice never said anything bad about anybody. He always had something complimentary to say.

Our town meanie finally was killed. He was killed by a mule that he was beating. Just desserts, everybody said, but they wanted to know what Uncle Rice would say about the deceased.

Some of the townspeople brought the body in a wagon to the undertaker. They weren't too happy about the town having to to foot the expense of burying the miserable cuss.

Uncle Rice came over, looked down at the body and said, "You know, fellows, he sure could whistle!"

Could we all be like Uncle Rice, at least some of the time?

We often see in people only those things which we decide are bad. Perhaps we could take a closer peek, and see something, tiny or not, that we can like, and dwell on that.

It doesn't take a lot to lift a person's spirit... a little compliment, a little notice of accomplishment. It does a heap of good.

It also doesn't take much to undo a person's spirit, either. As little as a fist waved at you when a traffic boo-boo is made.

Give your friend, mother, mate, co-worker, fellow human beings the break you like to get. Remember Uncle Rice.

- - - Tom Nance