You see, he had stuck the whole Styrofoam cup in there, still in its sealed plastic, to microwave it. Predictably, it started to smoke and melt and attempt to catch fire.
So, today, I’m pouring hot water into my own foam cup of ramen, thinking intently on this story, grinning my ass off… and caught myself putting the thing in the microwave. I was thinking about it so intensely, I started to do it myself – and I KNOW better.
Funny, right?
Except, well, what other stupid things are we doing, just because the thought has been planted in our head? Things we should KNOW better than to do?
Today my little brother turns 23 years old, and he’s long past the stage of cooking plastic in the microwave – I hope. He’s grown into a fine young man, and since I’m unable to really give him any gifts while he’s away in the Navy, I’m going to pass on some big-sisterly advice:
There will always be challenges, things you struggle to do, things you need to learn to survive. Keep at it. There will never be a day when you don’t have to check yourself, to make sure you’re on your right path.
Learn all you can, even if you do it wrong the first few times – because you’ll get it right eventually. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Believe in yourself, and that the outcome is worth it. Sooner or later, you’ll be able to make your own cup of noodles, and you’ll have all those great stories to tell about it and how you got there. Love you, bro.
