Some people say you learn something new everyday. Well I certainly learnt something on Wednesday night: what happens when you actually run out of fuel. For years I’ve looked at that threatening little light on the dashboard and doubted its credibility. Turns out it’s actually quite credible. Thankfully I was able to stop somewhere safe, two blocks from a petrol station.

But it got me thinking about life lessons. As children we are told not to do so many things, some important, like not putting a knife in the toaster, some bizarre, like not swimming until 30 minutes after eating. When I was little I never understood why my Mum always told us never to leave the house with wet hair. When I was on exchange in Austria last year my friend Claire kindly demonstrated why. Leaving the house with wet hair shortly after fresh snowfall will ensure it freezes hard, which is certainly something my mother would have tried to avoid growing up in Canada.

Another good one is don’t burn the candle at both ends. After 3 massive weekends away and busy weeks at work I am now incapacitated on the couch. I hate it how mothers are always right about some things.

The other thing my parents always used to tell me was not to put the internal car light on when they were driving. “I’ll have a car accident!” they would yell. Since getting my own car and routinely driving around with the internal light on and not even noticing I still don’t understand this rule…

Got any life lessons to share?