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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Treading in thin water

Sacrament meeting wasn't terrible today but there were a few moments when I was about ready to lose it. For example, when Rachel threw a fit about not being able to put the hood of her jacket on. Or when she and Miriam were fighting about territory/crayons/paper all at the same time.

So it was that during the intermediate hymn I leaned over and whispered harshly to Rachel, "You are treading in thin water, young lady!"

And then I was like, "I mean...water that has frozen, which is ice. Thin ice. You are skating on thin ice."

I don't know where my brain has gone but I do know that Rachel was thoroughly confused about this reprimand.

Andrew and I had a professor once who couldn't ever keep sayings straight. He has said things such as "I'm just preaching to the congregation here" and "If at first you don't succeed then turn the other cheek."

When Andrew came to join us on our bench after he'd finished playing the organ I whimpered, "I'm turning into Kirk! First I say 'that should be against the wall' and then I just told Rachel she was 'treading in thin water.' What is the world coming to?"

He just laughed at me. Even though neither of us has taken a class from Kirk in six years he is still famous in our house for his memorable mixed-up quotes. And now we'll have a few of my own to add to our repertoire...

3 comments:

  1. I feel like there is some real saying wrapped up in there somehow...isn't there a saying like that that involves treading...something?

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  2. Well, there is...in the sense of barely keeping one's head above proverbial water, as in "He was just treading water from paycheck to paycheck."

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  3. I do that too, but I usually am translating a French idiom into English...with mixed results at best.

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