Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Fifty things every 18 year-old should know
John Hawkins proposes an excellent list of 50 things every 18 year-old should know, and Cassandra has a useful addendum. I would add some others, including but not limited to:
51. Change your oil regularly, put on snow tires, and drive defensively. There are a lot of inattentive morons out there.
52. Do not argue with the cops until you are out of their clutches.
53. If you are feeling blue, unlucky, or depressed, compare yourself to the rest of the world. If you would not change places with more than, say, 5% of the people on the planet, then why are you depressed? Failing that, do kind and generous things for the people around you whether you know them or not. That will snap you out of your funk in a trice.
54. Remember and appreciate George Orwell's admonition, "every joke is like a tiny revolution." Revolt a lot.
I'm sure you have more and better suggestions.
9 Comments:
By 
, at
Wed Apr 08, 03:37:00 PM:
hmmm ... pretty much for anyone but for 18, oh yeah:
Use a condom, or make your partner wear one;
Be kind to others, even when they're unkind to you;
Honesty STILL is the best policy;
Save a little regularly for a rainy day, and invest it conservatively (and remember there is no such thing as the house's money);
Be careful in your estimation of others;
And show up everyday for your life ... it moves past faster than you might believe.
By 
Viking Kaj, at
Wed Apr 08, 03:49:00 PM:
If it's snowing tonite watch out with the z-28, it's got positrac.
By PD Quig, at
Wed Apr 08, 04:06:00 PM:
Tell your friends and family that your love them frequently. You never know when your last conversation will be.
By , at
Wed Apr 08, 04:21:00 PM:
Your parents get wiser the older you get. Sit down just once and tell your parents that you think they were good/excellent parents...affirm their lives as parents,etc. I did it and then two years later, my mother died..yours will die too someday.
It is easier to standardize on white sheets and towels all your life.
When buying antiques, buy less but buy the best you can afford. It is more liquid. Same with jewelry.
Be the example in your marriage.
We teach people how to treat us.
If you are a woman, be aware that it is important to express appreciation for everything your mate does for you.
Little kids love to hear how glad you are that they were born. Really.
Listen. All people are different.
Write a medical advanced directive, a will, and plan for your funeral. Your children will be eternally grateful.
Learn to forgive.
By , at
Wed Apr 08, 05:36:00 PM:
Friends come and go, but an enemy is an enemy for life...
By , at
Wed Apr 08, 05:46:00 PM:
It's loaded, so keep your finger off the trigger.
By , at
Wed Apr 08, 07:44:00 PM:
"54. Remember and appreciate George Orwell's admonition, 'every joke is like a tiny revolution.' Revolt a lot."
I'm always revolting.
By Cassandra, at
Wed Apr 08, 09:16:00 PM:
If you are a woman, be aware that it is important to express appreciation for everything your mate does for you.
Couldn't agree more. But why is this only important for women?
I've worked for the past 10 years, since my children left home. And in that time, I've noticed countless working women who spend their lunch hours ticking off 'to do' items in their DayTimers: take his laundry to the cleaner, buy him x, y, z b/c he's out, call so-and-so about thus and such around the house.
My husband and I both work, and for the most part we each take care of our own errands. I never, ever give him a "Honey Do" list, and he rarely asks me to do things he's perfectly capable of doing for himself.
It's funny how that works out. But just as women don't see the many things men do as signs of love, often men take their wives for granted, never thinking to say, "Hey - dinner tonight tasted really great. It was nice of you to cook something fancy after working all day."
So while I completely agree that men need appreciation, so do women.
It's good advice, no matter who you are.
By , at
Wed Apr 08, 09:30:00 PM:
Oh Cassandra..I am the Anon that wrote that inadvertantly. Please forgive me. I am a woman too. I only wrote it that way because my husband is a human-doing and it is something I learned. Of course it applies equally.
