As appeard in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho and Westside sections 03/07/09
I know I am not old enough to be looking back at life and being philosophical about mistakes I may have made and what I would do differently given the chance at a “do-over,” that will come some thirty years from now after I make the really big ones. But still I think everyone can help shed different perspectives on this journey at every stage in life, so I pose this question to you now: What advice would you give a younger you? What do you know today that you wish someone had told you years ago?
Where do I begin? There are deep life lessons and the not-so-deep-but-still-important ones. Like “check pockets before washing children’s pants so not to wash the stowaway iPod because even when it dries out, it still doesn’t work.” That is sage advice, and I can attest to it first hand. After six months I am still apologizing on that one.
Pay Closer Attention in Math Class
I would tell a younger me to pay more attention in math class. Algebra won’t come into play in life that often for most of us, but measuring will. Learn how to read a ruler beyond the quarter marks so you don’t have to say things like “its four inches and three short lines past the second thick one.” Yes, there are those of you out there who measure like that. I’m not naming names, but you know who you are.
Follow the Recipe
Let me just get it out there on the table that I am not a gourmet cook. As much as I love to eat wonderfully delicious food, cooking it isn’t of high interest. But one thing I have learned is that as much as you think you can make a recipe better, you shouldn’t stray from the written word. The cooks in the audience will disagree with me on this, saying recipes are too confining and do not allow for the individual creativity to come through. But for us non-Julia Childs we tend not to know any better and substitute ingredients that frankly don’t belong together. I don’t know how many times I got myself in trouble with the old “if a little makes it taste good, then more should taste even better.”
My measuring cup doesn’t have a ¼ cup marking on it and it drives me absolutely crazy. I am not going to improvise half way between the bottom of the cup and the ½ cup line. I will always be thinking the recipe would have been better had I used the RIGHT amount of oil instead of guessing. Follow the recipe and own a measuring cup with a ¼ cup line on it.
There’s a Sport for Everyone
Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, being part of a team teaches invaluable lessons and gives one a sense of what working toward a common goal is all about. Traits you use in your job, your marriage, parenting, community service and so much more. Being committed to a team teaches discipline. When its 15 degrees outside and you don’t feel like getting wet in a pool and cranking out a 7,000 yard practice but you have to because you are part of the team, you learn commitment, discipline and you become a better person for it.
So send me your pieces of wisdom you have found important over time- no matter how trivial you think it is. If I get enough feedback, I will publish them in an upcoming column so we can all be more enlightened. Since the theme of moment is spread the wealth, let’s spread the wisdom as well. Pass it on.
Quote of the Week: “Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.” -Albert Schweitzer
I know I am not old enough to be looking back at life and being philosophical about mistakes I may have made and what I would do differently given the chance at a “do-over,” that will come some thirty years from now after I make the really big ones. But still I think everyone can help shed different perspectives on this journey at every stage in life, so I pose this question to you now: What advice would you give a younger you? What do you know today that you wish someone had told you years ago?
Where do I begin? There are deep life lessons and the not-so-deep-but-still-important ones. Like “check pockets before washing children’s pants so not to wash the stowaway iPod because even when it dries out, it still doesn’t work.” That is sage advice, and I can attest to it first hand. After six months I am still apologizing on that one.
Pay Closer Attention in Math Class
I would tell a younger me to pay more attention in math class. Algebra won’t come into play in life that often for most of us, but measuring will. Learn how to read a ruler beyond the quarter marks so you don’t have to say things like “its four inches and three short lines past the second thick one.” Yes, there are those of you out there who measure like that. I’m not naming names, but you know who you are.
Follow the Recipe
Let me just get it out there on the table that I am not a gourmet cook. As much as I love to eat wonderfully delicious food, cooking it isn’t of high interest. But one thing I have learned is that as much as you think you can make a recipe better, you shouldn’t stray from the written word. The cooks in the audience will disagree with me on this, saying recipes are too confining and do not allow for the individual creativity to come through. But for us non-Julia Childs we tend not to know any better and substitute ingredients that frankly don’t belong together. I don’t know how many times I got myself in trouble with the old “if a little makes it taste good, then more should taste even better.”
My measuring cup doesn’t have a ¼ cup marking on it and it drives me absolutely crazy. I am not going to improvise half way between the bottom of the cup and the ½ cup line. I will always be thinking the recipe would have been better had I used the RIGHT amount of oil instead of guessing. Follow the recipe and own a measuring cup with a ¼ cup line on it.
There’s a Sport for Everyone
Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete, being part of a team teaches invaluable lessons and gives one a sense of what working toward a common goal is all about. Traits you use in your job, your marriage, parenting, community service and so much more. Being committed to a team teaches discipline. When its 15 degrees outside and you don’t feel like getting wet in a pool and cranking out a 7,000 yard practice but you have to because you are part of the team, you learn commitment, discipline and you become a better person for it.
So send me your pieces of wisdom you have found important over time- no matter how trivial you think it is. If I get enough feedback, I will publish them in an upcoming column so we can all be more enlightened. Since the theme of moment is spread the wealth, let’s spread the wisdom as well. Pass it on.
Quote of the Week: “Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.” -Albert Schweitzer
No comments:
Post a Comment