One day when I was 9 years old in Omaha, I was playing in the backyard with my friends Marty and Danny (Don’t worry, there is a point to this story....I think) Anyway, we decided that we were going to play Cavemen and the Dinosaur. Danny and I were the cave men, and Marty was the killer pterodactyl. “I’m going to climb up on the clothes line post to be my perch,” Marty said.

Danny and I went into my father’s shed (our cave) and waited for the killer dino to attack. We could hear Marty’s excellent pterodactyl noises outside..... eeeaarrrrrkkkk, hhyyyaaaarrr, kkreeeaaarrkk.

Danny and I waited and waited for Marty to attack, but he didn’t come. So we figured Marty was waiting for us to come out hunting, and so we did. When we got outside the shed, we saw Marty hanging upside down from the clothesline pole, his pant leg caught on a bolt. Around him, about 20 bees were buzzing and stinging angrily. Marty was yelling," Yeeearrrk! Eaaaarrrr! I ran to get the garden hose to spray the bees away while Danny climbed up to unhook Marty's pants.

So the point of this little story, aside from it being one of my favorite childhood memories, is to remind us that things are not always what they seem. Or at least, they are not what we've already decided they are. And this is certainly true in the hustle bustle lives of single parents.

Of course, so many of us are strapped for time, and who doesn't frequently make rash snaps decisions, or rely on hearsay as fact just to keep moving forward. But while hasty decisions can save you time in the short term, they can lead to unintended consequences later. Haven't you, dear reader, benefitted from someone giving you a second chance after an unfortunate first impression? I know I have.

So your homework for the day is to find one thing in your life that you feel pretty sure about, but can't actually substantiate with facts. Give it a second look. Then report back here. If you find your opinion was correct, then you have done yourself a service by removing doubt. If you find you were incorrect, then you will certainly benefit.

photo by Splenetic