‘Best Practices ‘ is simply      'the best way to do a certain thing'. 

"THERE IS A BEST WAY TO DO EVERYTHING."  I want that engraved on my tombstone.

For example, there is a best way to make a PBJ sandwich in Detroit: 

1) Room temperature bread, laid flat on a clean counter. 

2) Room temperature peanut butter, spread on the bread with a butter knife. 

3) Jelly or jam, dished out with a clean spoon and spread on the peanut butter. (I prefer blackberry jam) 

    (Don’t contaminate the jelly jar with peanut butter, in case someone is peanut-sensitive.) 

4) A second slice of bread, put on top, sandwich cut in half, if desired. (most girls prefer corner-to-corner).

Did you know that steam locomotives down South after the Civil War, used peanut oil to lubricate their locomotives? 

That was best practices for them at that time. 

I wonder if Barton smelled like peanut butter when he got off the train in Alabama?

Best practices is a recipe for doing a job well.
Plans are the recipe needed to reach any goal. When I explained how to clean your bedroom, I gave you a plan. 

A plan is a part of best practices. 

Little Annetta followed a plan when she ate. A lot of times, the poor farm had just soup and bread. When they had  a full dinner,

she ate her vegetable first, then the meat and potatoes together. Especially when they had corn-on-the-cob. 

She didn't car about meat when they had corn-on-the-cob.

Barton knew about ‘best practices’ in winding the courthouse clock: Wind the clock it before it quits running. 

This makes the clock more reliable, and reliability is what clocks are all about. 

Don’t be scared of the term, ‘best practices’. 

Doing homework in Des Moines and Omaha before it is due, is best practices. 

Acting polite when meeting someone new, is best practices in Nashville. 

For doctors in Boise and Anchorage, cleaning the wound before stitching it, is best practices. 

Picking up after yourself at school and at any public park, is best practices. 

Picking up and throwing away a nail you find in a parking lot in Indianapolis or Talladega, is best practices. 

Not throwing food wrappers in the canal in San Antonio, is best practices. 

Quietly pointing out a booger to a friend, is best practices. 

Be aware that best practices can change according to circumstances. 

Putting up a camping tent on the Appalachian Trail is different on windy days than on calm days. 

Extra tent pegs and rigging might be needed on a windy day. 

And walking to school in January is different than walking to school in April, at least in Baltimore and Milwaukee. 

So, 'best practices' is something to ponder as you learn new things. 

Eric J. Rose 

middlegrademysteries.com 

photo: https://www.ktlitsmart.com