Should you sometimes ignore past blisters and wear the shoes again? Photo by Jean Thornton
Before I can begin my normal blog this week, I think I should explain my sudden absence. My laptop had a very-near-death experience not too long ago. Did you know there is a ’blue screen of death’ that can take over a computer? Well, I learned about this blue screen of death the hard way when it was staring me in the face. Luckily for me, I happen to know someone who can bring a computer back from the blue screen of death and return it to the multi colored screen of life…or at least in my laptop’s case, the background of shoes. Let this be your friendly reminder to back up your documents! Thankfully, blue screen of death only affects computers and cannot spread to stilettos.
Amazing how much you need to write when you are without your laptop and how little of that you can remember when it is returned to life. May I say that I had a great deal to say about Valentine’s Day this year, and I will advise you that updating your Facebook status with pictures of flowers and cheap teddy bears does not make me think you are loved, but only that you can be fooled by gifts bought at the grocery store.
With nothing to type on these last two weeks, I had an amazing amount of time to read words written by others and to take my faithful dog on long walks while listening to some of my favorite lyrics. One night I re-played the old Rod Stewart song When I Was Younger that contains the song lyrics, “I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger.” I couldn’t help but ponder these words that evening—especially since without the Internet you have far more time for pondering too. I could not help but think that I did not agree with those words. In fact, I think I don’t even want to know now what I know some days.
If this song is accurate then having the wisdom we gain in life (or should I perhaps be even more cautious and just go with ‘knowledge’) should perhaps make things better. I would argue the opposite: I think if I knew less of life’s little lessons I would be a braver shoe girl. For example, I know now that too much alcohol will result in a far more difficult morning. Yet, when I was younger I was more naïve about “one more drink” and, instead of paying my tab and bowing out gracefully, I stayed and laughed far later into the night.
If I had known when I was younger about those hidden costs of life such as flat tires, broken AC units, and dogs that will swallow anything just to see if they can get it back out, I would have certainly put more ‘savings’ aside and in the process cut back on a trip I could barely afford or a pair of shoes that made my heart race. Heck, if I had known there was going to be a power spike two Saturdays ago I would have unplugged my laptop. But to be honest E! News was also to blame for that too.
Yes, I realize that those who do not learn from our history are doomed to repeat it. And I am not saying that there are not good lessons to learn. It’s true that a blister can teach you a lesson about the dangers of wearing new heels out dancing. But sometimes these lessons can hold us back from experiences. And even when these experiences turn out to be bad they can still offer a lot of good. Sometimes we have to ignore what we know and put on the ridiculously tall heels for a night on the town—or order another drink even if it might make tomorrow morning a little slower.
So perhaps what Rod Stewart should sing is, “I am glad I learned what I did at the appropriate time in my life.” I guess it’s not as catchy. But maybe at times we need to ignore what we have learned or maybe acknowledge it while still doing as we please. After all, the best lessons in life might be worth learning twice.
