Someone Else's Experience is the Best Teacher

It's been said that experience is the best teacher. The idea is that you make some mistake and then you learn a lesson from it forever.

But why should you have to go through so many hard experiences yourself? Why not learn from the mistakes of others? I have learned a number of things just by hearing how others have erred and I know I will never make those mistakes myself. For example:

1. Never turn your back on a running vehicle. After hearing several reports in the news about people leaving their car running and hurrying into a convenience store "just for a minute" and then finding out their car was stolen in that brief moment, I learned you should never ever leave your car with the engine running. Even if you think you'll "just be a minute."

2. Never mix cornstarch with hot water. Of course, recipes always say to mix it with cold water, but some have told me they tried mixing it with hot, and the sauce or gravy got all lumpy. Lesson learned. And I didn't have to find out the hard way.

3. Always prick potatoes a lot before baking them. This is something that everyone seems to know, but still I heard it enough times that I will never put potatoes in the oven without puncturing them several times. So I never have to worry about exploding baked potatoes.

Now that I have shared a few tidbits of wisdom that I did not have to learn the hard way, I will give some advice that I did have to learn the hard way.

1.Sometimes a GPS can lead you the wrong way and you can get completely lost. Sometimes a map is better.

2. Never wash towels and clothes together unless you want to spend two hours picking lint off the clothes.

3. Don't buy diapers which come from a company that also makes canned corn. You might think you're saving money buying cheap diapers but you'll lose it all in the extra washing from the diapers constantly leaking.

So there you have it. My words of wisdom. If I have saved anyone from the inconvenience of getting lost, or spending two hours lint picking, or the frustration of cheap, leaky diapers, then the last 15 minutes I spent writing this have been totally worthwhile. You're welcome.