One Step Away

The last place you’d expect to fine adorable wildlife is at the mall—the mall parking, to be exact. Earlier this week while exiting the lot, I spotted a trail of birds, a family of about five geese, tottering along the side of the road. An adult goose let the pack, three little ones followed and—here’s what surprised me—another adult brought up the rear. That’s a big job. Those babies weren’t disappearing without the parent goose realizing it, yet every spring the news covers stories of baby geese falling into holes, setting off elaborate rescue missions. Here’s what happens when someone’s watching over you:  

                                     https://youtu.be/FnYT4uQQu0c

 It feels good having someone watch your back. Who’s watching yours?          

Words Have Power

After pulling into a pay-for-parking lot, the attendant asked for my license plate number. I recited the first three letter/numbers and couldn’t remember the rest, so I quickly added, “something, something, something.” I guess the attendant wanted more details because he decided to read my plate for himself. I bet most people can’t recall what’s on their license plate—or am I the only one? 

Of course, personalized plates are easy to remember. Think about the strange descriptions you’ve seen on vanity license plates. People use the space to describe themselves, their pets, their hobbies, and other surprising activities. Many times, no one—except the owner—can read the seven-character message. Try to guess what these people had in mind: 

                                          https://youtu.be/XWjuftD86xw  

Maybe people don’t care whether other drivers understand their vanity plates. Still, it seems like a great spot to broadcast your views. If you could create a free vanity license plate, what public statement would you make?        

Where Are You Now?

Relationships float through different stages. Last week, I overheard an interesting exchange between a parent and a couple of kids. The parent kept making funny faces and singing popular songs written long before the kids were born. Judging by the kids’ expressions, they wanted no part of the performance. Undeterred by their eye-rolls, the parent added to the torture by singing off-key.

After several minutes, one of the kids pulled a question from the childhood memory files. Questions always make good diversions. The kid said to the parent, “Do you want to play a game?” The second kid followed up with, “Yeah, let’s play the quiet game.” How many times had the kids had fallen for the “quiet game” tactic? Eventually kids will borrow their parents’ tricks and criticize parenting logic. Watch this:

                                         https://youtu.be/GadAQd1IAzk

As kids grow up, they’ll offer their parents advice on everything from fashions and hairstyles to insurance and investments. Through the usual ups and downs of life, parent-child relationships deepen and evolve. What’s your most important relationship and how has it developed?