Some Good Advice

Don't you just love e-mail? You know the kind with the funny, sweet, or inspirational message that urges you to forward to friends and family, or else you're doomed? Well, usually I don't. However, today I received one that had some simple, good recommendations for some peace of mind:

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

Worthy suggestions for life, right? These lines made me think back to when I was growing up, and the advice my family gave me. My parents urged us to be tough yet kind, and be strong in mind. My grandpa used to tell all of us granddaughters, "If someone wants to fight you, fight them back." He totally contradicted other adults who always told us to play nice, and we loved how he taught us against the grain of what we were learning. Grandpa knew how to keep it real. That seemed to be the most effective way of ensuring that we listened.

Advice doesn't really change as we get older. Most of the lessons we receive are similar to what we've heard before, just different words. What changes is how we value those lessons and how we apply the advice to what we do based on who we have become. Another thing that changes, too, as we grow is that we don't keep advice to ourselves for our own benefit - we often pass it on.