I took a hike this morning. It was short. Possibly not even worthy of being called a hike. More like a meander. I was wearing a shirt that said “Failure is not an option.” I got this when we visited Cape Canaveral to check out the space center. Both my father and husband acted like this was ho hum but as soon as they saw all the rockets they became seven-year-olds. I joined them especially when it came time to go on the Shuttle simulator. I rewarded myself for boldly going exactly nowhere with this t-shirt.
Anyway, in the deep woods of the Mississippi River State Park, the ticks that were lurking there took my shirt literally and launched a full attack. I got back from the “hike” and promptly captured and killed five ticks. I was like Attila the Hun for the insect world. This tick infestation happened despite bathing myself in deet. I decided then and there that a) I would no longer risk cancer with the deet if I was still going to have to participate in tick-o-cide, and b) clearly the problem was the t-shirt I had chosen to wear which had emboldened the ticks.
Many self-help books (which I have been banned from reading by Piper many years ago) often tout setting a purpose for the day. They say with this focus, you send out messages to the universe and dreams come true. I am also reminded of an old saying “make plans and god laughs.”
I decided to go with the self-help gurus and try wearing my purpose on my shirt. I have changed into a t-shirt that says: force of nature. This really is truth in advertising if you consider my current record again the tick kingdom. Let’s hope they can read in the Ouchita where we are headed now.
Adventures in LuLu 