RULE 9
Keep dry, and away from children
A friend of mine saw this exhortation on a box of matches, and immediately adopted it as a motto for life. However, I’m using it here metaphorically. There’s nothing wrong with getting wet (there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes) and somebody has to go near children.
On a matchbox, this directive is stating the glaringly obvious. Assuming you know how to use a match (which they must be assuming, as there are no instructions) you will be well aware that they won’t work if they’re wet, and that it’s not really a great idea to hand them over to a 4-year-old.
Nevertheless, while it seems quite unnecessary to tell match users to keep the matches dry, it’s surprising how often we miss the ...
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