Growing up in the South, Mama always seemed to have a saying ready for every situation. One of the most memorable: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” This was, of course, not meant literally.
Despite most of us being allergic to cats, she had her bestie named Mehitabel, from another of her favorite sayings, “Wotthehell Mehitabel.” The cat was her housemate in her assisted living home.
So, while the phrase may sound strange to modern ears, it simply meant there is usually more than one way to accomplish something.
Mama used the saying whenever life refused to cooperate. If the cake burned, bake another one. If the mower would not start, weed instead. If the power went out during supper, candles appeared on the table, and we kept eating. The lesson behind the old expression was about persistence, adaptability, and refusing to give up after the first attempt fails.
That bit of country wisdom still rings true today. People often become frustrated when things do not go exactly according to plan, but life rarely follows a straight road. Sometimes success comes from learning to think differently, improvise, and keep moving forward
What Mama said: Life lessons you didn’t know you needed—until Mama said them.
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My Mother is the type that when something broke, She wouldn’t rest until She or I or someone, fixed it. That was more of the Appalachian mindset of “I can do it.”, which applied to most everything except Transmissions. Cats were never allowed inside the house, or they might find themselves subjected to the adage.