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The Slice: Tot knew how to take life by horns
Janine Hill had three daughters when she got pregnant with her son more than 20 years ago.
The girls were 9, 6 and 3 at the time.
The two older children wanted to know how a baby got in Mommy’s tummy. So Hill prepared to have The Talk with them.
As part of her planning for that, she drew what she characterized as a “rudimentary” illustration of the female reproductive system.
When the moment came for the facts-of-life lesson, one of the girls retrieved the drawing. Hill saw that her 3-year-old daughter had found it and had embellished the sketch.
“She added eyes, a nose and antlers,” said Hill. “She had turned it into a moose.”
Another youth trying to make sense of her world.
“We still laugh about it,” said Hill.
That 3-year-old is about to become a nurse.
Slice answer: “Regret is never useful,” wrote Jennifer Miller. “The learning opportunity is present in having the ability to choose differently next time, but regret in itself serves no instructive purpose. Absolutely every moment of our lives culminates in NOW.”
Slice answer: “Since I retired last July, I try very hard to not be concerned with what day it is when I get up,” wrote George Weisbarth. “As a good friend advised me … in retirement, every day is Saturday except Sunday.”
Slice answer: “I really hate being asked, ‘Are you doing anything fun this weekend?’ ” said one of my colleagues. “The best answer I’ve found: ‘Yes, I just haven’t decided what it is yet.’ It usually elicits a chuckle and eliminates any need to come up with an actual answer.”
Today’s Slice question: Sometimes it seems clear that grocery store employees were directed by the manager to step up the friendliness and level of engagement with customers. How do you react to that? A) It seems silly. B) They are in a ferociously competitive business. I don’t blame them for trying to make their store seem welcoming and stand out in a crowded field. C) It reminds me of that scene in “The Graduate” where the hotel employees keep greeting Benjamin Braddock. D) Other.