So here’s what you don’t do: When you are about to go on a trip for several days to the mountains of North Carolina, which just happens to be at least eight hours away, and your wife says, “My suitcase is at the top of the stairs, can you bring it down?” When she says this, and you say, “The suitcase? Bring it down? No problem! I’ll take care of it,” make sure you don’t do one thing: Forget to take care of it.

Because what you don’t want to do – what would be incredibly irresponsible and dumb and possibly criminal, depending on the jurisdiction and the judge – is drive all the way to the mountains of North Carolina, which just happens to be at least eight hours away, and find you don’t have the suitcase.

Especially not after you told your wife, “No problem! I’ll take care of it.” Because that would now be a lie. And worse, the suitcase would still be at the top of the stairs … at least eight hours away.

Because when you carry everything into the North Carolina house you rented and your wife goes to unpack her suitcase and then looks around and says, “Hey, wait a minute, where’s MY suitcase?” you will have to gasp.

It will be an epic gasp. It will literally suck all the oxygen out of the house. If there is a fire lit in the fireplace, it will literally kill the fire. Because you’ll realize at that moment that the suitcase isn’t there. And of course it isn’t. You can go out and check the car (better do that anyway,) but it will be futile. Because it won’t be there, either. You know where it is. You know EXACTLY where it is!