“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein

Fall of 1947

One of my earliest memories. I was 4 years old. We were living in Rumford, Maine – a paper mill town located in south central Maine.

My dad was burning a big pile of leaves at the curb. I, riding a tricycle that was a tad too big for me, decided that it would be cool to see how close to the fire I could ride that big trike without falling in. Who thinks like that at the age of 4?

Back and forth I went. On the third try, I got real close. Too close. For a split second I remember hanging on the precipice while the trike and I balanced on 2 wheels between the sidewalk and the fire.

Alas, my stupidity was rewarded. I toppled onto that burning pile of leaves.

I don’t remember what happened next. I have a blurry memory of my Dad grabbing me and possibly an ambulance arriving.

My mother always thought it was divine intervention that saved me from a terrible fate. Me……I figure it was nothing more than dumb luck.

Anyway, in retrospect, this was the first in an entire life of stupid decisions I’ve made. That should have alerted me. I was not innately endowed with good judgment. I would have to learn everything the hard way.

And that sucks.

“It’s so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don’t say it.” – Sam Levenson