Inspiration comes from interesting places. This post comes after flipping through this month's
Real Simple (June 2010) magazine where the author paid tribute to her father's advice, even if sometimes grudgingly.
#1--Hold hands while you hash it out. It's impossible to scream at someone who's giving your hand a gentle squeeze. Good advice. I guess it's similar to the advice of our parents who would say never go to bed angry.
#2--Pay attention to anyone who wears a tool belt....then later you can care of the repair of whatever appliance yourself. I
like being able to fix things. I
hate having to pay for someone else to make house calls. I still have flashbacks about the Sears repairman laughing at me...
#3--or a uniform. Properly tip and thank those who serve you. Not only wait-staff (we have Beth to thank for those lessons) but hotel staff, mail carriers, sanitation workers, or others who might not be thanked ordinarily. It doesn't always have to be money. It can be a simple
thank you. You might be the first to do so.
#4--You can never have enough baggies. They're miracle workers--easy to stash, and you can spot their contents at a glance. (Don't you wish you had been the one to invent
Zip Loc bags?) 'Makes me think of my dad's plastivon napkins...also miracle workers. Could be used for napkins, wipes, in place of paper towels, wrung out and re-used.
#5--You can't go wrong with
Clint. If you can't decide which movie to rent or watch, go with Clint Eastwood. Not a bad choice.
#6--Don't belitte the annual sack race. This refers to upholding family traditions as well as introducing new traditions. (#6 can be its own blog post...)
#7--For Pete's sake, stop worrying. Be a
doer, not just a
talker.
#8--Carry a hankie. Tissues disintegrate but not hankies. Restroom dryer on the fritz? Handkerchief! Want to wrap a cookie to go? Handkerchief! Dads and granddads always have hankies.
#9--No one's smarter than you. Asking questions makes you sound smart, so don't keep silent when you don't understand something.
#10--You
will want kids. The author said, "My father always encouraged me to have a baby. I used to tell him that it wasn't for everyone, but he shot back, 'Iknow you, and you would love it.' True enough: Tom and I became parents recently, and that little girl is the joy of my life. I cannot wait to impart my own pearls of wisdom to her, such as the infinite uses for twist ties or the Importance of Being Honest (sound familiar?). And since she's a lot like me, she'll probably roll her eyes and grumble--and listen to every word."
The older we get, the less grumbling and eye-rolling we do.
