The author has written a book of sayings, ideas, and thoughts. He usually sat in his La-Z-Boy in his study while listening to smooth jazz on his TV. He wrote whatever came to his mind that was felt to be appropriate. He simply tossed various ideas around in his head until he came up with something plausible. As with some of his other books, he used a process of brainstorming where he forced his conscious and subconscious mind to come up with these thoughts. A few of them are common sayings, but most of them came strictly from his own cerebral processes. He wrote at various times of the day and night. The best time for him was in the latter part of the night.
He racked his brain for many months to come up with these sayings, ideas, and thoughts. Some of them simply ran through his mind as he thought about what he wanted to write. Most of these sayings came after some deep thought.
Most of them are original, but you must consider that they came from the deep recesses of his mind and were recorded there from what he had heard and read. No one wants to read a book that is only repeating ideas circulating in the general culture. Sometimes he couldn’t keep track of his ideas and lost many of them while thinking about other things.
He entitled this book, “Country Boy: Way Down Home,” because at heart he will always be a country boy. He left home at almost nineteen to attend college. By that time a country boy ideology was firmly ingrained in his conscious and subconscious mind. Most of them are straight from an isolated rural farm in East Texas.
He was raised on an isolated rural farm in the middle of nowhere. They had no electricity for a while, no gas, no telephone, and no plumbing. There was only a three-mile trail to his house. He plowed a mule from sunup to sunset during the growing season. He also spent a lot of time cutting grass, general-farm maintenance, and herding of animals. So, you can see why he calls himself a country boy.
One of the reasons he left the farm when he did was because he feared getting caught up and having to spend his life on the farm. That was the last thing he wanted to happen.
He went to college, to the Navy, back to graduate school, and then moved to a South Suburb of Chicago. He has lived in the south suburbs for the past forty-eight years. He has two sons, a wife, and a decent home. Both his sons graduated from college. He is now seventy-five- years old. He has been in Chicago twice as long as he was on the farm, but still calls himself a country boy. Some would say that the early years have the most influence on a person’s life.
He would like to think that his writings mimic a smooth jazz tune. He can’t describe this phenomenon but can only hint at such a connection.
In this book the author has made some statements that he believes to be close to the truth as you can get. He would not make these statements if he did not believe them to be true. They are consistent with his faith and his beliefs.
He has grouped these sayings into various categories. Some of the categories are fluid and sayings could just as easily fit one category as another.
Check out this and other of the author’s books @ amazon.com, or www.willisjay.com, by Jay Thomas Willis.