Stumbled on a relic from 1963, a Vacation Reading Program award from the Denver Public Library. Brought back a flood of memories faster than a DeLorean gunning to 88 mph.

In the summer of ’63, I was all about dolphins. I had my mom take me to “Flipper” at the Federal Theater, and man, I was hooked. I went on a reading spree that included “The Friendly Dolphins” by Patricia Lauber and “Dolphin Island” by Arthur C. Clarke.

Lauber’s was a breeze, but Clarke? Damn, that was like trying to make sense of “2001: A Space Odyssey” without CliffNotes.

Lauber taught me something solid: dolphins and porpoises? Different dental plans. Dolphins have cone-shaped teeth, while porpoise chompers are spade-shaped.

So, come fall, I was back in school, and some teacher started yapping about dolphins and porpoises being the same critters. I corrected her and got an earful. She sent a note to my parents complaining that I shouldn’t undermine a teacher’s authority.

Fast forward to 1976, and I’m sitting in a film class at Metropolitan State College. Professor’s rambling about “Lifeboat,” says Hitchcock cameoed as a floating corpse.

Wrong again, Teach, but I kept my trap shut. No need for another lesson in humility.

The award? I tucked it back in its box and shoved it into a corner of my closet.

The lesson stuck: Sometimes, it’s not about being right. It’s about knowing when to talk and when to listen. So I shut my Doritos chute, even when they got it wrong, because nobody likes a smartass.

I learned an even more valuable lesson from the Vacation Reading Program: There’s always another page to turn.