2. Don't think about where you'd rather be or who you'd rather be with, since obviously that won't help.
3. Protect the people around you. This can even be accomplished harshly if need be.
4. Cops are not the bad guys... the bad guys are. That being said, cops will try to help you. If you encounter a hostile officer, please remember the crap they deal with day to day on the job, and stop complaining. They have families that they don't get to see a lot or who worry about them constantly.
5. Turn off your tele and go out into the world. Sure, it's -40 out with wind chill, but do something, even if it's in your house. Don't complain about being cold or being out of shape/portly if all you do is watch TV. Try making the news - in a good way - instead of watching it all the time.
6. Don't try to forget stuff from your past. All it does is help to block memories that you will ultimately miss. Cherish the good times as well as the bad, but do not dwell on the latter. Don't let the bad stuff define you. Abuse is not your fault.
7. Make friends. Obvious, yes, but some would rather be loners. Friends help to make the car-ride of life better, despite the bumps and lack o' dramamine.
8. Don't hold grudges. Sometimes the exact thing you need is to talk to people that you're mad at, come to peace with the situation, and move on. *Note: does NOT apply to all situations.*
9. No matter how much you love someone, spending every waking minute with them is too much. You begin to take the sweetest things, the ones that you'll end up missing the most for granted, and soon take that person for granted, and that never works out well.
10. Stop being selfish. If someone works over 12 hours a day, don't complain about a lack of communication. *Note: do talk though.* If someone is poor, don't brag about your $$$. Putting people down only surpresses the hurt/insecurity momentarily. Write a living will and make sure someone knows where it is in case something happens to you.
11. Call your family. Tell them you love them. You never know if you'll be able to again. *Note: Get back in contact with people, or initiate first contact if need be. You'll only be glad you did, even if things turn out crappy.*
12. Don't leave the pieces of your puzzle-ic life lying on the floor like some in-dire-need-of-washing-laundry or things that remind you of something/one. Pick it up, clean it up, and move on.
13. Don't ever assume that someone is avoiding you, is mad at you, or is cheating on you. Too many relationships AND friendships end because of a lack of trust.
14. Work hard, but balance that out by playing hard. You work a crappy physical job? Go to Six Flags (or other fun theme park) and teach your body what it's really like to hurt.
15. Get over your fears before they conquer you. Water doesn't always drown people, suspended roller coasters are indeed safe, driving isn't as scary as it might seem, and being alone isn't always so bad.
16. Save money. You never know when you're gonna need it. *Note: Try to not have a lot of debt. If something happened to you, that would suck for you family.*
17. Celebrate seemingly mundane dates, like month anniversarys, half birthdays, and a whole year of living amongst strange people. It makes the hard parts of life easier to go through.
18. Follow your heart. Yes, it's great to have book smarts and I'm a great example of that. However, one cannot go through life simply being Hermoine-like, because books do NOT cover everything you need to know. If you have an instinct, follow it. Don't try to "fix" your ideas/feelings/thoughts with logic. If your mind says, "We should close the trunk..." don't wait until it's been 3 hours to do so...
19. Have fun in everything you do. Work isn't quite so boring that way, and neither are hard things. Try to deliniate between in/appropriate, but also help take people's minds off the hard stuff.
And...
20. Build lego-towns. Play with Barbies. Eat kids meals. Do NOT ever ever ever lose touch with your inner-child. It's your best friend, and can be your worst enemy, but it'll always be there, a part of you, unless you kick it out... And that just makes life no fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment