Darkness

I just realized that I have been putting off blogging because I am in search of that elusive perfect first blog, the one that I keep convincing myself will come to me one of these days, in a blaze of dazzling inspiration.

But maybe not.

So I am cheating a little; and to start the ball rolling, I am going back to a small list I started making a couple months back. This is not the proverbial Blogger's Hundred (not yet), but more like a personal collection of advice and life skills, loosely inspired by H Jackson Brown Jr's Life's Little Instruction Book.

1. Whenever you are thirsty, if possible, drink water instead of soda.
2. Be polite, but firm.
3. Never miss a chance to pop bubble wrap.
4. Read biographies.
5. Read popular science books.
6. Every year, read the books nominated for the Newberry and Carnegie medal awards.
7. Watch a good international film (preferably in a language you don't know) at least once every month.
8. Watch a good independent movie at least once every month.
9. Patronize local mom and pop stores.
10. When an idea or thought comes to you at bedtime, write it down. Don't wait till morning.
11. Perform random acts of kindness.
12. Be strong, but gentle.
13. Be honest, but considerate.
14. Don't be embarrassed to follow your heart every once in a while.
15. Always offer to help before being asked.
16. When traveling abroad, be respectful of the culture and society. Keep an open mind.
17. Exercise whenever you can.
18. Save your sarcasm if you know it will hurt.
19. If you cannot give pleasure, at least try not to cause pain.
20. When you are happy, share it with everyone. When you are sad, share it with one special person.
21. Strive to leave the world a better place than you found it.
22. Every so often, give up the best seat to someone else.
23. Fill your life with music and poetry.
24. Appreciate beauty, but not at the cost of utility or goodness.
25. Be kind, but fair.
26. Follow the recipe, but don't be afraid to experiment.
27. Always be ready to try out new things at least once.
28. Never miss an opportunity to make someone happy.
29. Never break someone's heart if you can help it.
30. Don't worry too much about your appearance as long as you are neatly and appropriately dressed.
31. Whenever possible, use natural instead of processed ingredients.
32. Spend as much time as possible with children and puppies.
33. If no one seems to agree with you, think long and hard one more time. Then, if you still feel you are right, go ahead and do it anyways.

That's all I could manage before I ran out of steam...