Ponder On It, Pilgrims: The Bucolic Mark Twain on Critter Councils, Cookie Bandits, and Texas Grit

Charles Hamm is the common sense we are all missing in this upside-down world. This World-class storyteller extraordinaire invites you to sit down for a spell and helps you ponder on your own life and see the world with new eyes.

• Thelma, the doe-eyed matriarch
• Spuds, who leads from the rear
• Rex, a nimble coyote with his nose to ground
• Rocco, a direct descendant of Davy Crockett's coonskin cap is unmatched.

One of wonder. One of imagination. One of delight.

Charles exercises the power we all still have that we forget about. The ability to change how we perceive the world.

He is the soothing voice that we all long to hear when a more experienced adult takes charge. He is the sigh of relief we feel when we slow down and pay attention. At a time when we are all striving for "wisdom, right now, please," he brings it to you. I like to think we can borrow the knowledge he has gathered from his years on Earth to make our lives a little more comfortable and less worrisome.

Charles Hamm has over 20,000 followers on LinkedIn who have begged him to share his wisdom and stories in a book that feels like you were huddled around him at the campfire.

This book is full of salt-of-the-earth stories explaining fundamental truths and irrevocable events in one's life.

Here's a taste of some of Charles Hamm's Texas Grit to Stick in Your Craw:

• The way I see it, there are just two kinds of people in this world. Folks who hunt and fish, and folks who kill and catch.
• Wisdom is born of knowledge and experience. However, knowledge and experience will not necessarily make one wise.
• Be careful what you wish for. Folks who like war stories most likely don't have their own to tell.
• Be Smarter Than the Acorn: The way I see it, there ain't but two ways to git to the top of a big white oak tree. Ya ain't gotta be real bright to figure it out. You can climb it or sit on an acorn and wait.
• Never let the skivvies you wore today smell up your tomorrow.
• Look here boys and girls. You can't keep negative, toxic, angry, offensive, or insulting people out of your life. But you can keep them out of your head.
• You're Only As Good as Your Tools: A knife that won't cut isn't worth much.