Be Prepared

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When I hear the phrase "Be Prepared," I think of two things: Boy Scouts and Lion King. This post is not about either of those, really, but I will say that I've wanted to be a Boy Scout since elementary school, and that I now have the "Be Prepared" song that Scar sings stuck in my head.
Really, this post is about skills (great, now I have the line from Napoleon Dynamite banging around my skull).

Once upon a time, when I was about 7 or 8, I decided that it would be really useful to learn to write with my left hand in case my right hand stopped working, and to learn to write and open doors with my feet in case my hands stopped working. I admit that I was a strange child, but I think some of the blame can be shifted to my brother Jaron, who at that point in his life was praying that people wouldn't get their limbs chopped off. I have retained all of my limbs so far, but they are still useful skills to have. It is really handy (ahem, bad pun) to be able to open a door with my foot when my hands are full.

Does it prepare me for life? Ummm, tough question. If "life" means disappointment, obstacles, frustration, and heartache, then having handy toes hardly seems like the best preparation. Knowing how to cook and clean doesn't look like a brilliant defense plan, either. I'd say the best shield against 'life' would be a mental preparation. "If I did not laugh I should die" [thank you, Abraham Lincoln] and I can definitely say that although turning doorknobs no-handed doesn't do much for my dignity, it does keep my humor intact.

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