For my entire life (well, since my feet stopped growing, anyway), I have suffered the woes of having big feet. Size 11s do not grow on trees. And sometimes, a shoe that looks cute in a size 7 or 8 looks ridiculous when stretched out to be big enough for us big-footed ladies.

Imagine my delight in the discovery that in the right setting my feet actually look, dare I say it? Petite? Well, when compared to my boys’ size 15 feet in their brand-new size 15 basketball shoes, they do.

I was telling a group of people the other day that when I post on the Internet, I try to think about whether or not I would be willing for my words (or pictures) to show up on the front page of the New York Times. So often, what I post is probably silly to many, but if I don’t mind the world knowing about that particular silliness, I don’t mind posting it. And while my children would probably hate it if their feet were splashed all over the news, they are going to die of parental-induced embarrassment any day now, anyway, so there’s not much I can do about that. (Srsly, that’s a real thing. I looked it up on the Internet, and you can believe everything you read there).

If the NYT question doesn’t work for you, maybe ask yourself “Would I want my grandma to read this?” or “Would I want my children to read this about me some day?” Whatever you the question, I think it’s useful to ask yourself SOMETHING before posting. Too often I see people on Twitter or Facebook saying the dumbest, most unkind things and I wonder if they really thought before they posted. Words do have consequences, and putting them in perspective — would I want these words to be the one thing I’m known for — might just change your decision about whether or not you will actually post them. Perhaps NOT posting something is the kindest thing you can do for yourself or someone else.

I think the whole world needs a lot more kindness. And a lot more perspective.