Always charge your cell phone...

As a grown up, I realize that in the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through experience. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all of the nieces and nephews in the world, or really for anyone who will listen. You may not agree with all of them and they may not work for everybody, but each is a rule that I either live by or wish I did.

# 10 Always, always, charge your cell phone...

It's 2010. Practically everyone has a cell phone, and land lines are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Even my parents have cell phones, though they are for the most part, unused and never turned on. 5 year olds know how to download apps for their parents IPhones. Even some of the homeless people I see begging on the streets have some form of cell phone.
If you have one, it should always be charged. I am certain that most everyone in the world keeps their charger plugged into the same spot at all times, so it is really lazy of you to not just grab the chord and plug it in.
What if you are locked out at 3am and your phone is dead? You would either have to throw rocks at someone's window or sit on the stoop until someone came outside. What if you witnessed someone being attacked and couldn't even call the police because your cell phone is dead? What if you walk past a fire and you can't call the fire department?
I know that most of these things are highly unlikely, however, you never know. Anything is possible, and it is always a good idea to be prepared. I'm not saying you have to carry around a Mary Poppins bag with a remedy for everything in it. I am simply asking you to charge your cell phones.