The Buddhists say “life is suffering.” I think struggle might be a better word. Struggle is unavoidable, and it would do us good to stop expecting otherwise. And yes, everybody experiences pain and loss, etc. but I don’t believe we should expect our lives to be full of suffering.


17, 21



Go on a tour of the Kennedy Center. Free guided tours through Friends of the Kennedy Center.


10



NEVER sit while someone near you is working.


14-21



Sometimes, no matter how great a thing is it can’t make up for what it’s not.


14, 19, 21



Play to win but play fair. Be a gracious winner. Someone has to lose. Sometimes it will be you. Don’t whine.


10



Learn to tie knots.


10



Give books. Inscribe them. Just a line or two can turn a good book into a treasure. Great for any occasion.


17



Read Thanks for the Feedback by Heen and Stone. Crucial for ADHD and rejection sensitivity. Wish I had it when I was about to launch into my career!


15, 19, 21



Watch the western “1883”.


13



If you’re unable to help someone, help someone else. Throw some goodness or beauty in the bucket of humanity.


16



Notre Dame Lullabies by the O’Neil Brothers is my favorite album ever. I used to play it at your bedtime when u were a baby and even sometimes when you were a kid. It reminds me of the happiest time of my life, when you came into it. Play it for me when I’m old and gray, okay?


21



Be the kind of man that people feel safe around. Safe from harm, safe from judgment and safe from ridicule.


17



Practice your signature


13



Beware that when you’re first exposed to a new thing: a car, a college tour, house, etc. you will feel AMAZING and totally seduced by the shiny newness. Be cool. Remember that glitters is not gold. Things don’t need to be perfect and even if the house is it doesn’t mean life will be.


15, 18, 21



Sadness means you need love. (From another person, a pet, yourself.) Someone whose presence brings you comfort. May be dead, living, fictional, historical figure, religious (god, saints, Buddha, etc.) Live and in person is best though. Let someone love you how you need to be loved.


19, 21



Sometimes grief looks a lot like anger. Are you upset about something you lost or had to let go of?


15, 21



Be teachable. If you walk around thinking you know it all, your career and relationships will suffer. Consider how much you have to learn and welcome any opportunity to learn. “Teach me” instead of “I don’t know.”


16



Don’t let someone have to tell you twice that they don’t want you. Nothing good comes from hanging on after that.


15, 21



Don't say anything out loud that you wouldn't want repeated or overheard. Don't email / text, etc. anything that you wouldn't want forwarded.


11-15



1

Put down your phone and be in the moment. Teach this. Model this.


7



Check out Harmonia School on Mill St Music Art Theatre


6



Get up early on a Saturday and go downtown. See how fun it is to be up before the rest of the world.


7-9



Poems are great tools to help them to read, recite, practice handwriting, and illustrate.


7



Remind them they’re safe to feel whatever they’re feeling.


2, 12, 21



“Fitting in” requires that we change who we are to fit someone else’s idea. True “belonging” never asks us to change who we are, it demands that we be who we are. - Brene Brown


12, 17



I want you to remember that for the first three years of your life I couldn’t take a poop without you on my lap. So there will be no shirking hugs from Mom now that you’re a teenager. xoxo


14



Don’t let some dumb-sh*t’s overconfidence get you killed.


11, 14, 17, 19, 21



A wise friend once told me "Don't dump grace down the drain." Respond to nudges: Speak up even if you're afraid, reach out to someone who's hurting, forgive someone (or yourself.) God is so good and so generous...accept his gifts.


15



Golf lessons this year. Your grandpa loved golf. He tried to teach me when he first got sick, and those are some of my best memories of him. Great way to get fresh air and exercise too.


11



Most people are good. Some are bad. Many are crazy.


15, 21