No falling!
The advice was simple, straightforward and smart: Put it down where it can’t fall. The advice was given about a heavy object that had been placed on a railing and had, indeed, fallen with a great thud. It did not get damaged, but the advice was sound for future reference. Finished with your coffee cup? Wrung the last drop from your cocktail glass? For heaven sake, don’t put either object on the arm of your chair or the edge of the bar. Take advantage of the solid space in middle of the nearest large flat surface and place the empty vessel there. The floor is often the best option, actually. Whatever you've placed there will rest safely until it is next needed. I think this simple advice — Put it down where it can’t fall — can be applied both literally and metaphorically to a great number of situations. At its essence, it means don’t create a risk where there is no need. Yes, there is a time for risk, but not always, not every time. So when it is not necessary and you have the choi...