read the warning label.

You know how there are some things that have the most ridiculous warnings written on their labels? Like "this curling iron will be very hot when heated" or "do not place screwdriver into electrical outlets"

Well, some things don't come with warning labels and maybe they should.

These shoes, for example, probably should have come with a warning label. They should have been attached with a little sticker that said "These shoes are not meant to be worn as rain boots or any type of running shoe."

Or this chair. Its label should have proclaimed, "this chair does not fold, deflate or collapse in any way. It may be difficult to store or travel."

So maybe the companies that made these products didn't feel that they had to warn buyers about those things. But it would have been helpful. 

It would have been helpful last night when we came out of the store with new patio chairs to find a drenching downpour where we had left a soft cloudy sky. And when Ryan ran to bring the car to the curb but found that then we had to try to pack our car with the overflowing gutter above us pouring on our backs and down our legs. 

And when we put all of our purchases in the car but realized the new patio chairs did not fit into the trunk or into the back seat. And when the rest of the people waiting under covering stopped to watch us try to squeeze the chairs into the car while being soaked by the rain. 

It would have been helpful to know these things when we finally decided to drive the car back to the parking lot and wait out the storm under the covered sidewalk. Because then we got impatient and ran across the parking lot, through the puddles and small lakes with the chairs on our backs to try a second time to fit them in the car. And finally, it would have been very helpful when we carefully maneuvered the chairs into the back seat, only barely avoiding a scratch or dent on the outside of our car or our neighbors, and when we ran back through the parking lot in the downpour towards our next errand.

So what have we learned though this experience? Always have a pair of sturdy, waterproof shoes in your purse? Or a poncho? Always consider the dimensions of your vehicle before purchasing anything? Move to the desert? 

I'm not sure what I learned, if anything. But I do know that every time I look at those silly patio chairs I'm going to remember running and sliding through a drenched parking lot thinking that sometimes people who think they're pretty smart can be pretty dumb.