Sunday, October 14, 2007

Rules For My Life, part one.

Years ago I read Robert Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, the "biography" of Lazarus Long. It's still my favorite books. One of the repeating features are quotes from Long's "Notebooks." These are simple, or not so simple, explanations about everything in life. The one I remember most clearly: Always cut the cards. It can't hurt and it might help.

At my writing workshop Friday, one of the prompts was "I Always/I Never/I Believe" statements. The ones shared in class were wonderful and diverse and totally unlike anything that I had considered. The great thing about these writing prompts IS that each person will not only use their own words, but also create their own take.

I chose to think of the assignment as my chance to begin creating my own Notebook. So like the book, these will be scattered throughout the rest of the blog.

RULES FOR MY LIFE.

  1. Try to be present in the moment. Let the past and future live where they belong.
  2. Breathe in. . . . breathe out. (you can't imagine how hard this seems at times.)
  3. Look a person in the eye and call them by their name.
  4. Honor your commitments unless they cause harm to yourself or another. Then forgive yourself.
  5. When in doubt, DO SOMETHING.
  6. Drive within 10 miles of the speed limit. OK, if nobody can see you, make that 20.
  7. Proofread your work three times, hit post, then proofread again.
  8. Only tuck your shirt in if you're cold. Then put a vest or sweatshirt over it.
  9. Take risks. As Eleanor Roosevelt said: Make yourself a little scared at least once a day.
  10. Try to eat a new food or dish every month.
  11. S T R E T C H !
  12. Floss.
  13. When writing an email to a friend, smile. It will come out in the words.
  14. Go to bed and get up at almost the same time every day.
  15. If you lose count, do 5 more!
What are some of your Rules (I alwayses, I nevers, I believes)? If you choose to blog about them, please leave a link here so I can follow them.

I also blog at: Deb's Daily Distractions and BlogHer on Mondays and Saturdays.

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