Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

My kids scotch tape worms to the sidewalk
and watch the birds get hernias.
--Rodney Dangerfield

When I was about 4 years old someone (probably my aunt) gave me a pack of "Property of Lauren" stickers in a beautiful array of colors. Before long, the house was "decorated" with them. My bedroom door, the coffee table, our little wooden chair, bathroom mirror--all of it quickly became a nightmare for my mom, who was stuck (pun intended) trying to remove all that adhesive without ruining the finish on the furniture. My mom forbade me to own any stickers for a long time after that. There are a few places at my parents' house that still display the scars of my sticker frenzy.

Today at work, I got to satisfy my sticker urge! I was given a box of brilliant white, blank labels and a felt tip pen and told to write my name and my new office number on them and place them on everything that needs to be moved on Friday. Not only do I get to put them on cardboard boxes (how unoriginal!) but I get to put them on my desk, my chair, my bookcase, my file cabinet. Maybe it's the fumes from the permanent marker I've been using, but I'm feeling a little crazy right now. I don't think I've had this much reminiscent fun in a long time. The only thing that could top this would be if someone were to give me a ball of yarn and ask me to tie it to every doorknob. (Don't ask.)