“I take it not only a day at a time, but a moment at a time, and keep it at that pace. If you can be happy right now, then you’ll always be happy, because it’s always in the now.”

~ Willie Nelson

Some days move as slow as cold molasses, as my mother used to say.

It’s been 10 years since she passed away, but her sayings float to my mind more and more.

Actions speak louder than words.

You made your bed, you lie in it.

Cat got your tongue?

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

It’s going to freeze like that.

No fools, no fun.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

Birds of a feather flock together.

If the shoe fits, wear it.

The early bird gets the worm.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Waste not, want not.

Beggars can’t be choosers.

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. 

Last night, I added a new saying to my collection of favorite quotes while listening to musician Willie Nelson’s interview on World Cafe with NPR. I’m always telling myself it’ll be OK, whatever it is.

But Willie put a spin on that notion: “Don’t worry about anything: ain’t nothing gonna be all right!” he succinctly said with a Willie-style laugh.

“However, [how] we want things to be is not necessarily how they’re gonna to be.”

Pulling homemade meatloaf out of the oven, I stood there, ears glued to Willie’s sage words — and you know, Dear Reader, Willie’s right! It’s not gonna be OK.

But you smile and laugh, and carry on your songs. Your painting. Your writing. Your gardening. Your family. Your friends.

You watch birds in the morning, pour a cup of coffee and rub your dog’s soft ears, and find a sense of peace in those simple things, keeping those moments pulled tight to your heart, indeed.

• Saluda Welcome Table at Saluda Methodist Church is Tuesday from 5:30-6:45 p.m.

• Saluda Tail Gate Market is Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

• Saluda Train Tales at Saluda Historic Depot on Friday at 7 p.m. The program will feature a Historic Saluda Committee update, along with screening of a 1939 film “Saluda Summer.”

• Saluda Garden Club meets Monday at 10 a.m. at McCreery Park.

• Top of the Grade Concerts begin at McCreery Park on Friday, June 22, with the Aaron Burdett Band. Performances are 7-9 p.m. at Ella Grace Mintz Stage; rain will move concerts to the Pavilion.

• Art Notes: “Art for Preservation” will be a fundraiser to raise money for preservation of Saluda’s 1891 historic Church of the Transfiguration, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The event is from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, June 23, at Saluda Center, 64 Greenville St. Tickets are available by contacting 828-749-9740 or jenniferbshand@gmail.com.

• Learn about Saluda Community Land Trust by visiting saludaclt.org or calling 828-749-1560. Brian Lilburn will teach swimming lessons for children at Twin Lakes starting on Monday, June 25: you can contact him at twinlakesswimminglessons@gmail.com. The next Walk in the Woods is July 1 to the Missing 40 (meet at 2 p.m. at the Saluda Library to carpool); contact Chuck Hearon for hike information at 828-817-0364 or chearon@skyrunner.net.

• Happy June Birthday to Nancy Barnett, Verne Dawson, Peggy Ellwood, Anna Jackson, Charlie Jackson, Amy Violet Ford, Terry Arrington, Julie Arrington, Susie Welsh Hearn, Jeremy Edwards, John Savage, Eleanor Morgan, Mary Lu Price, Sigi Hendrickson, Edna McKee, Lucinda Pittman, D.J. Gaskin and Susan Matthews.

Thank you for reading this column; as ever, the goal is to make you feel like you’re enjoying small town life in a friendly mountain town called Saluda. Feel free to contact me at bbardos@gmail.com, 828-749-1153, or visit bonniebardosart.com.