Throughout life, there are certain points that you look back on and say "what was
I thinking?!" or "could I have really been that stupid?" I assure you that I have a
multitude of such memories, but the one that stands out in my mind was an experience
that not only questioned my maturity or brain-power, but also changed the way I live my
I will never forget that hot, sticky day in late July. I was 7 years old and ready to
start the second grade at the East Bay School of the Performing Arts. I was at the
pinnacle of maturity, intelligence and, best of all, invincibility. Nothing could stop me;
not the flu, not my mother leaning half backwards outside the back window to "clean
[my] room!" and certainly not the disease or "unfortunate accidents" that happened to
people on the news and other TV shows that my mom watched after work. Nope, nothing
could happen to me. Last night I didn't even wash my hands before I ate dinner and do
you know what happened? Absolutely nothing!
I was particularly excited that day because I had plans to go shopping with my
stepsister Ashley who was 17 at the time. She was a "big girl" and I was going to be a
"big girl" with her at Stoneridge mall. As we sauntered out to her shiny Mustang with the
super cool Hawaii girl "bobble head" on the dash board I felt on top of the world. I slid
into the passenger seat like a mature lady would do and promptly rolled down my
window to check out the view from such a cool ride. As Ashley started the car I
instinctively reached for my seat belt but glanced sideways to see what she was doing.
Her seat belt hung limp by her side and we jolted away down the street. I dropped my
Now, looking back, that was at that precise moment that I wonder "what was I
thinking? Could I have really been that stupid?"
...