The First Lesson: "HOT"

This is my first attempt at this, so it could, indeed, be the "First Lesson," but the real lessons started much, much earlier than this... and as life would have it, the lessons have continued to this very day.

Truth be told, I'm not really sure which of the lessons I'll share, but somewhere deep in our souls we've all got the next "great American novel" ready to be released. Each of us, in our own way, has also had their own "Lessons of Life" and we've learned, collectively and individually, from these...

My first memory and recollection of life came as a toddler at the ripe old age of 18 months, which, as every mother knows, is not a time when you can let your little "angel" out of your sight. I hate to digress, but I REPEAT, you cannot let a toddler out of your sight. While I was the first born, it's doubtfull that this was my mother's first lesson of motherhood. However, as it turned out, it was, in fact, my First Lesson and one that I remember to this day some 55 years later.

Did I mention that you can never let a toddler out of your sight? It all began on that glorious summer day way back when... you know the kind of day that I'm talking about... it was the kind of day that we all hope comes on a weekend, or a day off, or while we're on vacation. Brilliant sky blue skies, a gentle breeze, bright sunshine and about 80 degrees with little humidity. In short, it was a perfect day, other than for the road construction crew that was working out in front of our tiny, one-bedroom second-floor apartment. Now, I suppose the fact that our apartment was tiny could have been the first lesson, but I guess at 18 months I hadn't developed my spatial density sensitivity. I didn't know, or realize that it was tiny, hence and perhaps the first of many lessons lost along the way. It was tiny because it was located above a tiny, neighorhood grocery store in a resort community in northern Minnesota. Lakes, lots of lakes... which, down the road, will undoubtedly account for many more of the Lessons of Life, but after all this is about The First Lesson and remember... it was a glorious and brilliant summer day, other than for the road crew out front working their tails off.

Turns out they were re-paving the road with blacktop and you can imagine how excited an 18 month old boy would be to see all of that heavy equipment working away. So, mom and I went out to sit on the sidewalk to watch the road crew and share an orange popsicle (it was, after all, a small neighborhood grocery store). Mom turned her head to talk to a neighbor entering the grocery store... remember the part about where I mentioned one should never let a toddler out of their sight, well it's true. Now, here's where the first lesson kicks in. As soon as Mom turned her head, I ran barefoot out onto the newly blacktopped street... Holy #$%^& it was some kinda' HOT, HOT, HOT.

Fresh blacktop caked and baked onto my tiny toddler feat and that's when I learned The First Lesson: "HOT." Believe me that the fresh tar and blacktop on the street was some kinda' hot.

Rumor has it that I ran a helluva' lot faster getting off the street than I had running onto it. Seems it took Mom the better part of that brilliant and glorious summer day in July in the lake country of northern Minnesota to get the HOT tar & blacktop off my feet ... And so, the first lesson was learned.