Word to the Wise

Nothing too exciting has been going lately but I have learned a couple of valuable lessons the past couple of weeks so I will share.


Lesson 1: It will happen to you. Be prepared.


I don't know if it is laziness or just naivety that that makes me look at things with rose colored glasses and think, "Oh, that won't happen to me." Well, the other night I went down stairs for a little late night snack, turned on the kitchen light and blew a fuse. No big deal right? I thought the same thing until the next day when I went to turn on my computer and nothing! Most of you would lament the loss of Internet time and maybe gripe about getting it fixed but this little tragedy had a much deeper meaning to me. All my pictures are on my computer. All, as in Jackson's entire life! I freaked out. As it turns out my brother was able to fix it and no harm done but I learned my lesson.

I know most of you have your 72 hours kits packed by the door, and your 50 gallon water drums have been recently rotated and purified, and of course all of your precious photos are saved on disks in the fire proof safe. But if I am speaking to any procrastinators like me, do it now!


Lesson 2: One year olds are really fast.


The other day Jackson and I met up with some friends and family for a playdate at the park. Jackson loves to be outside and was content running from the blanket to grab some food to the playground and back and forth. Well, I went seriously 20 feet away from the blanket (with my sister and cousin still sitting there) to talk to some other friends. I was gone maybe five minutes and came back to find Jackson no where in sight. Ok, I am not panicking yet. He couldn't have gone far. Check both playgrounds, ask the other kids and parents, start panicing! Now I am running through the parking lot, scanning between cars, and having a full anxiety attack. Do I start looking in cars? The road? The bushes? By now, others had joined the search and I was in full hysterics. I wanted to yell, "Everyone get off your A and start looking!" Logic and reason had long passed and I was crying and running through the park like a crazed mother. I heard a lady whistle from the top of the park and yell, "red shirt kid?" Jackson had gone across the park, up a hill, across another playground, and was on a full sprint towards the road.

Sidenote: If you see a one year old running through a parking lot by himsef toward a busy road, grab him! Don't think oh I will give a little whistle and that should fulfill my civic duties.

Anyway, I kicked off my shoes and ran as fast as I could and was still worried I wouldn't catch him in time. He of course was oblivious that anything was wrong and was just happy as could be. Later I roughly clocked the distance he had gone and it was almost a half a mile. Man he is fast.