Since I turn 40 Thursday, I thought it best to update that original list of things I've learned a bit (some are from my previous one which only a handful have read so many of you will be going in fresh)...hope you enjoy!
- The Declaration of Independence's second paragraph contains a fallacy. Not all men (and for the PC, "people") are created equally. Let's stop pretending that we are.
- Solicit advice but know when to use it, save it for later or politely discard it. It all comes down to how much experience the person giving it has as well as how it applies to you in particular.
- Time goes a lot faster than you think. Never waste it.
- Two of the best lines about what you haven't considered in regard to the opposite sex come from songs. One for the women: "See the man with the lonely eyes, oh take his hand, you'll be surprised" ("Give A Little Bit", Supertramp)...and one for the men: "I am extraordinary, if you ever get to know me." ("Extraordinary", Liz Phair)
- I know that no matter how bad things get, my dog will always love me unconditionally and may very well be the only one happy to see me.
- Technology is supposed to bring people together but does so in the most superficial of ways. Nowadays, even relationships and personalities are reduced to soundbytes.
- Speaking of technology, stop updating us on what you're doing every moment of the day. No one really gives a damn. Whatever happened to sharing the important things in life?
- Idealism is a wonderful thing because it causes us to look at things from a different perspective. However, you have to remember to keep it and your dreams intact whenever that big mallet of reality beats them down like you're in a life size "Whack A Mole" game.
- Everyone has some sort of weird superpower at their disposal. Mine are making wristwatches stop so they're rendered useless and easily finding holes in crowds to make my way through even faster. Hey, I didn't say they were exciting...
- Sometimes you have to visit the places you've been to find out how far you've come.
- If you go to bed angry and wake up intertwined with your significant other, chances are things will be ok. If separation and a couch is involved at any point, there's trouble ahead.
- You can't judge a book by its cover, but more often than not, it's pretty easy to glance inside and see that it's the same old story.
- Titles never impress me. It's the people behind them that have to earn the respect.
- "Book smarts" will only get you so far. It's the applied knowledge combined with common sense that will help you get through life.
- Having faith in something will get you through difficult times. Absolute faith in something will usually make things worse. Just look at where religious zeal has gotten humanity...we'll always be at square one.
- Everyone eventually sells out. So far either no one's met my price or I'm not really that hot a commodity.
- I'd much rather have conversations with people who know a little about everything than those who only know one thing well or nothing at all.
- Never collect anything or value's sake. Enjoy it as a hobby and if it makes you some cash later, great. If not, don't fret it.
- There's someone out there for everyone. The scary thing is that morons are finding each other faster and reproducing at an alarming rate.
- Only 5 movies have made me cry and they're probably not the ones you think they are.
- Courtesy, civility and common sense have pretty much gone out the window in America.
- Don't take life too seriously, because when you think about it, it's not taking you seriously.
- Answers to many questions can be found in the arts whether it be prose, paintings, pictures or song. You just have to find that serendipitous moment when the ability to listen coincides with the message being sent.
- No matter how much you try to force it down our throats, Americans are just not interested in soccer or dollar coins...so please stop trying!
- I used to see older people sitting alone in restaurants and feel bad for them, thinking they had no one in their lives. As the years passed for me, I started to realize that the majority of those people were just tired of others' shit and just needed to be alone.
- Not every relationship is supposed to last but they all had better teach you something about yourself.
- Funny thing about relationships...when you're young and genuine, you want the people that probably aren't good for you...the types that lie, cheat and completely devastate you. Later in life, these same types come around again after repeatedly being let down and are searching for the nice person you were years back but are surprised to find that you've become so cynical and jaded when they're the ones that made you that way in the first place.
- Every man needs to be a combination of Rick Blaine from Casablanca and Bugs Bunny meaning you should have a quiet, heroic nobility about you with a strong dash of wanting to instigate and stir the pot every now and again.
- Learn to cook because at some point, there won't be anyone around to do it for you.
- I've seen so many women lately with tattoos on their upper boob. Stop doing that. You may think it's sexy but think about the type of men it attracts. Is that what you're gunning for?
- One of the best lines ever about how men should be comes from Say Anything: "The world is full of guys. Be a man."
- There's something about crisp fall weather in the Northeast that nothing else beats. Other than the month of October, it's really pretty dreary overall.
- No matter what, doing what you truly love in life outweighs money you might make from something you don't.
- Some people are afraid to go anywhere alone. I don't understand that. You'll usually meet some of your best friends that way.
- It's amazing how times have changed. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare wrote the following about Cassius: "He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous." It's sad that it's gone to the other end of the spectrum. In modern day, the people who don't think are the most dangerous.
- TV has far surpassed movies in terms of quality entertainment. I'd rather spend 12-22 weeks with characters I want to care about rather than seeing vacuous people running from explosions for under two hours.
- Everyone needs to set aside moments of the day for "me" time. With the constant barrage of information and imagery we get per day (as well as dealing with others), alone time becomes a luxury we have to afford ourselves.
- In regard to that last thought, I wonder if people who suffer from multiple personality disorders ever get any quality alone time?
- The best laughter comes from life's little absurdities.
- Never have any regrets about anything you've done. Use them as a learning tool to avoid future mistakes.
