A Road Traveled Sort Of Well

A road well traveled is not always a road traveled well. In many ways, we all take the road less traveled because we all filter what we see through our own perceptions of the world and how we fit into it. We smooth our rough edges, rationalize our selfish acts and emphasize whatever contributions we have made. We create our own mythology, casting ourselves in the leading role. We undoubtedly sacrifice some accuracy in doing so, but how important is accuracy if we remember what we should or should not have done?

Who cares how I learned that it’s not a good idea to stick a hairpin into an electrical socket? Yeah, I know you gave me the usual warnings about the wind, but did you know that your shoes also get wet if you pee uphill? Incidentally, giving me a name with a “T” in it made it really hard to write my name in the snow. Okay, maybe the freezer wasn’t the best place to put my sister’s bra, but I didn’t think she wanted her boyfriend to see it hanging on the line. And how was I to know she didn’t want to carry potato chips in the seat of her pants? Did you know that if you smack a fly on the window with your baseball bat, you let more flies into your house? By the way, if you have poison oak on your hand, people will always remember where you touched them. Girls don’t care much for lizards and toads, particularly when they find them in their lunch boxes. They don’t think that the combination of static electricity and a kiss on the ear are a good way to prove you’re hot, either.

Those are just a few of the things I learned at an early age. I like to think that a complete list would be much longer. It would also get pretty boring, which is another thing I learned.

First published in macsbackporch.blogspot.com on Feb. 12, 2009