I recently realized that I have successfully developed a completely fictional walk. In junior high, I remember seeing an older kid in the hallway, and noticing how cool he looked when he walked. And then, after watching myself walk by a mirror, I realized how dorky I looked using my natural gait. The main difference was speed. His casual pace produced an aura of cool. I wanted it. And I consciously remember controlling my walk to match this person's. I don't remember when I stopped having to think about it, and now it has become natural. But, it wasn't mine to begin with. How much of my personality, demeanor and aesthetics have I stolen from others who I've admired?

The idea of asking someone who's choking whether or not they're choking was always a comical idea to me when we learned that first step rule in school. Until recently. When my wife, during dinner, began to choke. I sympathetically responded with, "Ugh! What are you doing? Go over the sink!" I had thought she was trying to spit something out she didn't want to eat. She was merely trying to breathe. So friends, make the sign. And public education, I apologize.