Reunion (or Ten Things I've Learned Since High School)

Even though my ten year high school reunion is still a year away--and I have my doubts about whether or not I will have much interest in attending this masturbatory tradition--Allison and I will be attending her reunion in a couple of weeks. In planning for this event we've been talking quite a bit about what has actually happened in ten years since we were wee balls of exploding hormones. So, I'd like to dedicate this blog entry to some of the little life lessons I've personally developed in my experience and education. If you would like to post some of your own in the "comments" section. I'd love to hear your opinions as well.

1) If people at your high school reunion tell you that, "You haven't changed a bit," no matter how jovial it sounds, it's not a compliment. If you're not changing, you're not growing.
2) There are certain aspects of life that should be taken for granted as the bare minimum of what you should be doing with your time in the universe. Staying out of prison is no more an accomplishment than taking care of your kids. These are things you're supposed to do. Raise your expectations a little.
3) Sleep an hour less, run an hour more.
4) Read without regard for what it is or how it makes you feel. Read books, read magazines, read web blogs, read newspapers. Your brain is a muscle and while your moral pride might give a shit about what you're putting in there, your synapses just enjoy the exercise--and you're learning about other people at the same time. Crosswords, Sudoku, etc. also work wonders.
5) Just because a person "isn't nice" doesn't mean they don't have something to offer. In a country like ours where everyone has complete freedom to give in to total gluttony, ignorance, and devolve to a knuckle-dragging cave dweller with a large-screen TV those who are pushing themselves in the opposite direction often have to be a little pissy to get their point across.
6) Happiness comes in small doses. For me it's a good cup of coffee, a beautiful view, a challenging hike, an inspiring novel, a well-crafted song, a great work of art,a good conversation, making love, traveling to new places, satirical humor...Appreciate it and let it go. Too much of any one thing will depress you as much as a little of everything will lift you up. And to quote Nietzsche, "I consider everyday wasted in which there has been no dancing."
7) Plan around human nature. It's unavoidable and will save you a lot of time and grief if you spend a little time now studying up on why you and other people act the way we do. If you push yourself too far without doing the things you need to do to refuel you're defeating the entire purpose of working so hard to begin with (which I assume is to make yourself happy).
8) Good beer in small doses, not bad beer in large doses. Bad beer in small doses? Why bother. No beer? Lighten up.
9) Find your calling. Then, ask yourself, "Will this pay the bills? Will this give me a life I can be happy with?" If the answer is even, "Maybe," I'm sorry, but you have to go for it regardless of how this affects your relationships, your values, your geographical location. If the answer is, "Not a chance," congratulations! Go for the money and spend every free second you have on your craft.
10) Take a long view of life. What we have to work with is no more our fault than it is our responsibility. Don't get hung up on what your parent's generation left you with, so much as trying to set your grandkids up for a better life than you've had. Even if you're not having kids, you owe this much to society.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?...Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do...It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-- Marianne Williamson