My blogger-in-crime Heather and I have been friends for almost 15 years. When we met, cell phones were strictly for business people and “moms” were people who came to take us shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond. As we have changed, so has the world around us. I can always count on Heather to quickly summarize how things “should work” and find solutions. Here are some nuggets of wisdom I have taken from her, either via explicit instruction or casual observation.
- There is a correct way to shop and navigate Target and every other oversized store, and it all starts with parking in the same place each time and retrieving your cart from the same bank of carts. Willy-nilly behavior is wasteful when it comes to big box stores, and might end you up disoriented, lost, or worse, browsing aimlessly. In the photo, I am taking my first trip to Target as a mother of two.
- When you travel (to a conference, for example) and wear clothes out of a suitcase for several consecutive days, tie your worn underwear into a knot so as not to confuse them with your remaining clean underwear. Guess where Heather has traveled in this picture and be entered to win a personal email from her telling you that you are right.
- Put a rubber band around the rim of your countertop composting pail (a requirement in Berkeley – no food scraps allowed in the garbage) and hold a small compostable trash bag in place. This smart tip reduced my kitchen irritation by about 87%.
- You can get engaged, married, visit Europe, Asia, Africa (and Cleveland), get pregnant, and buy a house in just over one year’s time. You just need to set your mind to it. In this picture, still-newlywed Heather is enjoying her new home and mistakenly believing that the baby in her belly is going to be chubby and smiley upon delivery like the one she is holding.
- Triathlons are fun. Or at least, they exist. Shopping is not fun and I should never ever suggest we go shopping for fun. (See number 1.) We are doing my first and only triathalon in this picture. The year was 2002.
- If something crosses your mind, and your choice is to interrupt your husband at work with your clever thought or post it on Twitter, the right answer is Twitter. Heather is tweeting during a bomb threat-related evacuation at the Oakland airport last year.
I hope you’ll find these life lessons useful. Stay tuned for more schooling tomorrow when Heather posts what she’s learned from me.
