Opposable Thumbs

We use them every day, quite constantly, actually. And I've realized how much I take my o.t.'s for granted. Try doing anything without them: buttoning jeans, opening the frig, making a PB&J, typing . . . the list goes on and on. From morning to night, all day long we use our opposable thumbs for nearly every task. I am guilty of not putting any thought towards these stubby digits since high school biology. But now that I am temporarily down to just one, I vow to spend more time daily in appreciation of the wonder that is the human thumb.

While playing a rousing game of dodge ball in the street yesterday afternoon, I learned two very important things: don't taunt the 6 year old neighbor holding the ball by shuffling in front of him while wearing flip-flops, and never play dodge ball without a video camera rolling. We would have had a great time watching my hilarious trip, stumble, and fall, over and over again. Yes, I fell. And I broke my thumb. Now I have to figure ot how to make chicken pot pie and chocolate molten lava cakes for Max's birthday tomorrow without the use of my beloved, un-opposable right thumb.

Crayons in the Crack

It went like this: "Oh no! MOMMY!" I came sprinting to the aid of my sick couch-ridden six year old occupying her time in front of the TV with a cookie-sheet desk, paper, and crayons in a cup, expecting to see something had been expelled from her stomach and made a mess on my sofa. Breathlessly I said, "What's wrong?" (pant, pant). She just pointed. To the cup. Of crayons. It tipped over. She said, "There's crayons in the crack." She was obviously incapacitated and had no way of reaching that far, all the way to the space four inches from her hand, to the abyss that is the couch cushions to fetch the crayons herself. I thought inwardly, "This is what she pulled me away from motherly duties for?" (OK, so I was just reading somebody's blog at that moment.) But outwardly I was all love and comfort and I'll get your crayons for you and here's some juice, baby. Kiss on the forehead. All's right with the world.