The Importance of Taking Care of Yourself First

The lesson I learned by stepping on a nail.

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I grew up in rural Wisconsin. Our home sat on eight acres, a grassy island surrounded by cows and cornfields.

The property was a farm before my dad purchased it, but his joy came from fixing things, so he never pursued the family trade.

There were five outbuildings and a barn on the property, all fairly close to the house. Our parents gave us strict orders to stay out of all the buildings except one we could play in.

Of course, that was the least interesting building.

What child always does what they’re supposed to do?

We traced the history of our house back to the early 1800s, the center of the house originally built as a logging barracks. Most of the buildings were nearly as old and neglected, so my parents had good reason to keep us out of them.

The barn was so unsafe, leaning at a 15-degree angle, that my dad pulled it down. The stone walls of the foundation and base of the silo remained standing, covered in broken beams and bits of roof and walls we never got around to cleaning up.

I knew better than to play there, but since there was no longer the danger of a building falling on my head, off to the barn I usually went to play.