Dear Dawn,

“We’re planning a trip to SE Asia this fall, and I’ve talked to people who say it isn’t necessary to know the language because many people there speak English.  They say the signs are clear.  But because it’s me and my two daughters, I’m a little concerned.  What is your take on this?”

 It’s one thing to plan a trip for yourself; quite another to drag along precious cargo.  The last thing any of us need is to get lost or even worse, look like fools in the eyes of our kids.  I realize that is part of the misperception of being mom, and I get this on good authority.   But I have to say, for us it was fairly easy.

We found most signs to be self-explanatory.  We all had our favorites.  This Japanese remote control toilet was mine:   See?  Not that difficult!

Above all remember this:  If you live long enough, you’ll be able to verify that at one point, everything old is new again.  40000 years ago, people left remnants of their existence in caves, with their sepia toned cave paintings.

In Ancient Egypt around 32 BC, someone began communicating using hieroglyphs.   Will your legacy be an emoji?  If so, here’s mine:

See you Friday!

Dawn