How we walked

I was talking with a man today about his children (now in their 20s). He mentioned how the personality of his eldest showed even when he was learning to walk. He never fell. He walked early enough but was so careful that he never fell. The next child, however, walked later and fell often. Apparently, she is like that to this day.

I remember hearing that my mom would never fall either. If she felt the least bit unstable, she would sit down. She has always been the cautious type. The only thing that would get her out of her comfort zone is the conviction that God wants her to do something.

I asked her about my early mobility habits. I am more of a risk taker--but not flippant about danger. She said I definitely wasn't afraid to run. I figured out there was someplace to go and I wanted to get there. Yeah, sounds like me. My sisters, on the other hand, crawled. They crawled fast. It was almost a race. But it didn't seem to occur to them to get up and go on two feet. Strange? Not if you know them. How many times have I suggested a better way to do something only to get the response, "This is working fine for me."

I wonder if anyone has ever done a study to predict an individual's personality based on early walking habits. Sounds like a good way to waste some tax money, don't you think?

Signing off for now...

So many things I want to say and--I need to go to bed instead. I thought of a really stupid rhyme to put in here announcing my temporary departure, but I forgot it already. I wonder what else I've forgotten.

Tomorrow I leave for a Bible conference in Indiana. I will not have internet access so I'm looking forward to returning and reading all the interesting things posted in my absence. By the way, here are the blogs I haven't posted, being too busy getting ready for afore-mentioned conference:

• Piano playing and thoughts on service
• Why victory over sin is like dieting (in other words, "Chickens, not horses")
• Elijah (I'm trying to remember what this one was about...)
• I'm a Bibler
• Cell phone
• Great Expectations
• The Prophet (hmm... I wonder if this was related to Elijah. I don't think so.)
• Colors
• Limbo

I wonder if there were some great thoughts in those that now I've forgotten. I may never know.

Is this what parenting is like?

I just did something I've never done before. I sent my mother off to camp. Well, a writer's conference (grown-up camp). We realized last night that she has left to spend a night or two when my grandpa had cancer or other family emergencies. But she has never gone off for this long. Really weird!

Exciting, too. This is not just a learning conference. Everyone goes with projects and plans. Publishers come and those attending get to try to sell their work. Emphasis on the word try. It's best not to expect huge things. But I still hope. Mom does have a couple nice pieces in her portfolio.

And we finally have cell phones so she can keep us up to date. She has instructions to check in regularly. She even took copies of our schedules so she'll know when to call. We were also checking her packing list up to the last minute. If I ever have kids, they're going to think I'm the most over-protective parent in the world!

Now that's clean!

Just got home from the dentist. (Ok, I checked two email accounts, two forums, and posted two replies before this.) It was my six-month so I only saw the hygienist. There's nothing quite like paying $67 and spending an hour of my day to let someone else brush my teeth.