Unsolicited advice

One day last fall I was imparting some wisdom to a group of students and this list followed. It is a bit of unsolicited advice. Take it for what it is.

1 - The small stuff is what matters a lot of the time. They want you to think differently and not sweat it so you don't excel and stay out of their way.

2 - Baby wipes are awesome and cheap and handy.

3 - Get up and make your bed 10 minutes early. Whole day goes better.

4 - You can only get back into a mode by getting back into that mode.

5 - You cannot help how you feel. What you do with your feelings are choices.

6 - Good food is important. Turn off your TV and spend some of that time cooking for yourself, friends, and family.

7 - A lack of fear shows you don't pay attention and are foolish.

8 - I don't watch or read fiction for gripping realism all the time. I don't need to hold fiction to a higher standard than I hold reality.

9 - Smoking means you are stubborn, unhealthy, and smell bad. It's why smokers stick together.

10 - Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" having a second life is bad for America.

11 - Politics is too mean and I want nothing to do with it these days.

12 - Stay fit. It's worth it.

13 - Television news is a waste of time masquerading as depth. Get your information somewhere else, as long as it isn't talk radio.

14 - Just because others don't think it is organized doesn't mean it's not.

15 - Explaining or understanding the weather doesn't mean you can specifically forecast it a week in advance in an area like Seattle where the weather always swirls.

16 - Stand for too long under a hot shower. Often.

17 - Random kindness is awesome.

18 - Stress manifests as real health problems. Find a healthy outlet. People wonder why I am so active.

19 - Sometimes loud. Sometimes soft. It's that it's music that matters. Even though I would rather lose my hearing than my sight.

20 - Coming to conclusions us bit a closed mind in and of itself. Being unwilling to listen to new information or adjust is a closed mind. Changing one's mind in that context is not being wishy washy or flip flopping, it is being intellectually honest.

21 - Duct tape, cat litter, a hammer, a shovel, an axe, some screwdrivers, a drill, a rake, and a few other tools are all you really need to have around the house unless you are remodeling.