SLOW DOWN!

Once upon a time, as Jim and I were pulling a late-night, straight-through drive to Missouri to visit my in-laws, we got a little punch-drunk, as people do in the wee hours of the morning when you're hopped up on caffeine and Cherry Nibs. 

You know ... when everything gets silly.

As we approached a sleepy, little, totally dark, quiet BFE town in the Ozarks, our speeding car was picked up by one of those mobile radar signs that flash how fast you're going.

But instead of simply displaying the MPH of our car, it repeatedly flashed a big, bright, all caps ... as if it was YELLING at us:

SLOW
DOWN!

SLOW
DOWN!

SLOW
DOWN!

It scared the crap out of us and then cracked us up. (Everything is funnier after Cherry Nibs.)

I was reminded of it tonight as I got home. After a rotten day at work and unplanned and very hurried stops at Farm and Fleet and the grocery store, I whipped in the driveway only to realize half the outside Christmas decorations were tipped over, the chickens needed feeding and watering, the garbage needed to get to the curb, there was laundry, dishes and homework to do ... in addition to finding a space for the Christmas decorations I'd brought upstairs this morning ... 

You get the idea. In fact, you all probably have more on your lists than I do. But I was feeling overwhelmed, rushed, behind and HUNGRY.

So I wolfed down a big salad (always have good stuff on hand, right?). And then two turkey dogs. And then some pretzels. All in literally 10 minutes.

And then, as I was eyeing the Girl Scout cookies and yogurt, I caught myself.

SLOW DOWN!

If I kept going at that pace, I'd have the whole pantry empty by 8 p.m.

So I've taken a break to write to you and collect my thoughts. If I really want cookies or yogurt in an hour, I might have them. But by then, I'm hoping my stomach will have caught up with my brain and will realize that I'm full.

In which case, the cookies and yogurt won't be needed and a squirt of the fat-free whip cream in a can straight in the mouth will suffice.