I learned two things this week. One was how to pick up a lady beetle, and the other was what I did wrong with car seat belts.

Lady beetles, the little red bugs that look a bit like lady bugs, were hard to pick up from the floor. Sometimes I used my nails to capture them, but I dropped a lot. I thought about grandsons David and Nathaniel picking up jigsaw puzzle pieces by pressing an index finger on them. It doesn’t work for me, but I could use that technique. To make a bug stick, I lick my finger, gently press on the bug, carry it to the toilet, and flick it in. I’m very pleased with my new method, and I haven’t heard the bugs scream yet.

We began shopping for a new car this week, since the Honda just had its fourth alternator installed. The salesman sat in the back with me, as John drove and David explored the dashboard. The seat belt locked, as it often does for me. The back seats in all the cars we’ve had always trapped me with demented belts. Other people sat in those seats without a problem. It never entered my mind that it could be my fault.

I asked the salesman, “Do you know why a seat belt locks like this? I can’t move it.”

I was shocked when he said, “Yes. Unbuckle it, put it back to the start position, and do it again.”

I followed his directions and pulled the belt out again.

“Don’t pull it further out than you need to. Just buckle it, and it should be fine. It’s a safety feature for baby seats. By pulling it far out, it locks to hold the baby seat firmly.”

Golly Pete! Not knowing any better, I’ve always extended the belt too far. Where are secrets like this hidden? How do you learn life lessons that are so common they aren’t explained? What else do I need to know? Help!!!