More Lessons in Living Your Life Wisely, as taught by Niece-y herself

1. Always carry water with you; it’s important to stay hydrated.
2. If you can’t sleep, wake up everyone you know so you will not feel lonely.
3. There’s really no reason to be self-concious when you’re naked. It’s just naked.
4. Run after everything that looks interesting.
5. Watch your step. If you trip, there will almost always be someone right behind you to break your fall, but not every time. Especially if you move really fast.
6. Sharing is overrated.
7. Always take the stairs; it’s more fun.
8. Who cares if you get dirty?
9. When someone tells you no, just start laughing. It throws them off.
10. Conversely, if you don’t want to do something, say no. Don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings or being polite. Nancy Reagan was right; just say no.

What I Did This Weekend, or

Things I Learned From My Baby Niece-y, Who Is A Genius 

1. When you are tired, take a nap. 
2. When someone is irritating you, turn around and scream until they go away. 
3. When you don’t agree with something, say “NO” and shake your head vigorously. 
4. When you are hungry, eat something.
5. When you are grumpy, bitch about it and then make someone you love hold you for awhile.
6. Don’t mess around with the DVD player.
7. It’s fun to run around naked.
8. When you see something new, pick it up, look at it from all angles, bang it around and put it in your mouth so you can understand what it is.
9. If it doesn’t interest you, drop it.
10. Don’t put electrical cords in your mouth.
11. Look around periodically to make sure someone you trust has got your back.

In terms of simple literal lists that are intended to have a deeper symbolic meaning that reminds us of the important things in life and someday turn into best-selling three-inch by three-inch books that make great generic graduation/birthday/Christmas presents for people you don’t know that well or work colleagues, I thought that one was pretty good.

Especially number five. I’m partial to number five.

 1977

  2002

Daddy meeting his little baby granddaughter, the Friday before First Tuesday.