A lesson learned

When I was a little girl...like 3 or 4...maybe younger, my dad had taken us (my brother, step sister and step mom) to an RV Park so we could play in the pool/lake and possibly even stay the night.  We didn't have video games and television was kind of boring when there wasn't cartoons on.  So this was a treat.

It was a really popular place to go.  This particular day, we had spent the day swimming and had just finished eating supper which was grilled hamburgers and hotdogs from a charcoal grill.  We were waiting our 30 minutes before swimming again...so we wouldn't get cramps...not sure if that is true or not.  My dad asked me to get his cigarettes from the car.

He told me..."now you go to the car and come right back"  "ok".  He made sure to also mention that he had just poured out the hot ashes from the grill..."don't you step in'em."  "ok!".  And off I ran, excited my dad had asked me to do something instead of asking my brother or step sister.  You know when you are young, sometimes that kind of stuff really matters.  Well, as I approached the car, I noticed a big pile of gravel.  Hmmm?  I remember thinking, 'wonder if this is like jumping in leaves'?  That big ol' pile of gravel looked so enticing.  But wait...I am supposed to stay away from the charcoal...but charcoal is black and this is grey and dusty...

The above picture is the actual spot (or close enough) where I jumped up and down in HOT ASHES causing Third Degree burns on the bottoms of my feet.  You might be asking...well, why in the world did you not jump out?  Well, I was 3 or 4 years old...#1 and #2, you know how when you touch something hot in the oven or on the stove and for some reason, you know it's hot but you keep touching it until your brain says 'let go dummy'?.  Well, my dad and step mom heard my bloodcurdling screams, came and yanked me off of the hot ashes.  They rushed me to the emergency room.  I don't remember much other than the events leading up to it.  I have been told I SCREAMED bloody murder the entire way to the hospital.  I do remember  having to wear casts on my feet.  I had to be carried everywhere I went.  I remember having to go in and get my feet scraped.

Last year, I asked my dad to take me through Lake Myers.  It was the 1st time I had been back since the accident.  I took a few pictures.  It was different than I remembered...only slightly.  I kept my shoes on.  Stayed away from any grills. I don't remember much about my childhood but I will NEVER forget this story.    You may think I am crazy for sharing this story, but it was really traumatic.  For me to step foot back on this property...I feel like took guts on my part.  It was like facing a fear.  I am glad I did it.  We laugh about the incident now...but I will NEVER forget it.