Living Outside The Lines: “Lethal Combinations”

Although I am not a boy, have never chewed tobacco and wasn’t born in 1962, I had a similar experience around the same time frame in my own life.

by, Becky J Miller, exclusive to Corridor News

Macmillan Dictionary defines lethal combination as two or more things that are dangerous when they are together or when they happen at the same time. Hmm, sounds like circumstances to be avoided, and yet sometimes we inevitably find ourselves victims of these lethal combinations. Fortunately lethal seems to operate on a sliding scale meaning often the disasters are survivable.

When my boys were younger, one of their all-time favorite movies to watch was “Sandlot.” Set in small town America, circa 1962, Sandlot is more a coming of age story than a baseball tale. Scotty Smalls, new in town and a bit of a nerd, is offered the opportunity to hang out with a group of local boys. Throughout the movie crowd shenanigans provide plenty of entertainment.

One scene in particular includes the lethal combination of chewing tobacco and a spinning carnival ride known as “Trabant.” The end result is well, just plain nasty!

See for yourself in this Sandlot video clip: 

Although I am not a boy, have never chewed tobacco and wasn’t born in 1962, I had a similar experience around the same time frame in my own life. Fortunately, there were no cameras rolling, but I am sure the friends who were with me that day likely haven’t forgotten the experience.

Since my father served in the U.S. Air Force we lived in base housing. Every year a carnival came to town and set up on the base, it was so much fun! All the military kids attended, as did many of our civilian classmates who lived off base. The chapel youth group I belonged to set up a taco stand at the carnival. We probably ate almost as many tacos as we sold, but who was counting???

One evening after my taco shift I joined a group of my friends on the exact same ride as the boys from Sandlot, the Trabant. You can probably see where this is going; just as chewing tobacco and spinning rides provide a lethal combination, so do those rides and tacos! To this day, I still eat tacos, but just looking at that type of ride makes me nauseous. The one exception being the Mad Tea Party ride at Walt Disney World; it makes me sick but it’s so much fun that I just make sure my stomach is empty when riding.

The thing about lethal combinations is that you often fail to realize you’ve encountered one until it is too late! While we were stationed in Italy, my husband, and I along with a group of friends took a boat across the Mediterranean Sea to Greece. We had a great time, until departure day. Our boat left before the breakfast buffet at our hotel, so our stomachs were empty. The vessel was crowded meaning the trip home found us sitting directly in the hot sun for several hours. The only food I consumed that day was an ice cream bar.

Trust me when I say ice cream, sun exposure and rolling waves equal a lethal combination! Just as the boat was docking, my body could take no more. Passengers anxious to disembark blocked the stairways leading to the bathrooms. The upper decks looked not directly over the water, but over the decks spread below. There was no safe space in which to ride my body of its poison; I had no choice but to excise what ailed me right there, on the ship, in front of God and everyone!!

For those without sensitive stomachs who have managed to make it through this tale of vomit, I applaud you. To those I lost, well, I don’t suppose there is anything more to be said except I hope your life’s path steers you clear of any lethal combinations.

Until Next Time,

Becky ~ Warrior Princess

Becky J Miller writes a bi-weekly column and is exclusive to SM Corridor News. You can read more of Becky’s columns in Lifestyle.