Stuff I've Learned (Learnt?). Ok, Stuff I Know Now.

1. Cheesy but true - just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want doesn’t mean that person doesn’t love you the best way he or she knows how. And that should count for something.

2. No matter how much you work for it and how good your intentions are, there are things that really aren’t meant to be. When you’re sure you’ve given it your best and won’t look back with regret, just move on.

3. Listen to everything but take as much time as you need to make your own opinion. You’re accountable for all your decisions so you better make sure you’re making the right ones.

a. Corollary 1 to the above Most of the noise in this world is the one from our heads. We can’t hear because we’re too busy second guessing while somebody else is talking

b. Corollary 2 to the above. Not making a decision is not an option. You should stand up for what you believe in. I’m going to have to borrow from Alghieri who said, “the hottest part of hell is reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, stand back and do nothing.”

4. Everything is temporary. We should enjoy what we have while they last. but shouldn’t expect that we’ll have them forever. So, make the moment of enjoyment worth it.
a. Corollary to the above – and borrowed from a dear friend – while we remember the past and make plans for the future, let’s not forget to live in the here and now.

5. I can be like the calm blue ocean: vast, serene, nourishing, symbiotic, nice to look at.

6. I can also be like the raging, dark, murky, slimy, freezing sea. But at the end of the day, I'd rather not.

7. Positive energy generates more positive energy. Negative energy has the same effect. We can choose what kind of energy to surround ourselves with.

8. I am more like my Dad than I thought I was.

9. A person who is angry or violent or vicious is - more often than not - just crying out for somebody to listen to him/her.

10. Staring at your bike doesn’t count as exercise.

11. Having a dream is a beautiful, noble thing.

12. I am blessed with good friends, a childhood happier than most, many happy memories, the ability to recognize the humor in the absurd, the ability to empathize and style to spare.

13. People come and go in our lives but some have the power to leave us with everlasting pain or joy - long after that person's face/voice/smell fades into memory.

14. Whether I like it or not, some people have given me the irrevocable power of causing them great joy or great pain. I have to remember that and be careful about what I say or do.

15. Never underestimate the power of a smile or a kind word. Or, for that matter, a careless remark or action.

16. I like being with people who take their work but not themselves seriously.

17. I can’t change the world but I can change myself and the people around me.

18. It’s not unusual for people to stare at me as I walk by. And I don’t mind.

19. I figure prominently in some people's sexual fantasies. And I don’t mind.