Practice Makes Perfect? Nah

If "practice makes perfect" holds true, then how come so many things we do continually are often not things to be proud of?

• Yoga instructors often have to teach their students how to breathe. I don't know about you, but I've been breathing a long long time and – last time I checked — still do it quite frequently.

• Many of us in certain parts of the country drive a lot of miles. The structures of our commutes are getting more complex, requiring more of our time and giving us more practice. How come hardly anybody is a good driver anymore?

• Cell phones have filled the air with conversations that didn't exist 20 years ago. I often see someone get in the car and instantly flip open a cell phone and start talking (maybe this explains why we're such bad drivers). With all the added practice talking, how come there is such a lack of phone etiquette? If it's not someone making or receving a call at an inappropriate place or time, it's somebody squawking about their appendix surgery (see entry below). It can also be a total lack of phone manners. Instead of saying something like, "Hey, Ed Bob? (grunt)" why not say, "This is T-bone. May I speak to Ed Bob, please?"

• Eek. With all the hands I've shaken in the past several years, it's the people who don't know how to do it that get my attention. Wimpy grasp, moist palms, not enough pressure, too much pressure, too short, too long. Knowing the right way: firm, fleshy and I'd hope dry, should be a requirement of becoming an adult. Sheesh.

• Food is fuel, although it can be pleasurable. Bottom line is that eating is something we've done from birth, yet we either eat the wrong things or not enough or too much. I am not making light of eating disorders; my sister suffers from bulemia, so I know it is a real, serious issue. However, for just the couch surfers who decide an entire bag of Doritos® is a good idea, this one's for you.

In many of these cases, practice makes no difference or lets us slip into rudeness, complacency or larger pants. What's the cure for it all? Stay tuned!