Family trip to a NASCAR race..


6



We can disagree with people and still be respectful of them. (When what they espouse is something that hurts people, that’s where you can draw the line.)


16



Be mindful of privilege. Discuss the concept, point it out where you see it.


11-18



Everything not saved will be lost. This is true for documents in Word and in life.


16



When you feel hopeless that’s when you know it’s time to seek help. It’s a red flag in someone’s demeanor. Notify parents if you notice this feeling of deep despair in yourself or someone you know. Help really does help.


13, 15, 17, 19, 21



Try silence. Just sit with it (problem/feeling/etc.) invite the problem to sit next to you and just be quiet. Five minutes every day for a week or two. Your solution will appear. Stop running and just sit with it.


16



“A recipe for being mistaken: 1. Dislike someone who's often right. 2. Never agree with someone you dislike.” ——- Paul Graham


16



Make “good trouble” as Rep. John Lewis said. Justice is won, not given.


14, 19



Special occasion gift idea: put a video together of a ton of friends and family wishing them the best. Maybe it’s graduation, or wedding or big move, or for when she’s in labor, etc. Ask friends and family to film a short video of encouragement/congratulations/support/advice/etc.


17, 20, 21



Start a tradition of asking them to memorize and recite a poem or famous speech for a gift for Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc. Start small with the little ones, expand as they get older.


8



Blessing for the Brokenhearted: Poem by Jan Richardson ___________ "There is no remedy for love but to love more." – Henry David Thoreau ________________________ ________________________ Let us agree for now that we will not say the breaking makes us stronger or that it is better to have this pain than to have done without this love. __________Let us promise we will not tell ourselves time will heal the wound, when every day our waking opens it anew. ___________Perhaps for now it can be enough to simply marvel at the mystery of how a heart so broken can go on beating, as if it were made for precisely this— as if it knows the only cure for love is more of it, as if it sees the heart’s sole remedy for breaking is to love still, as if it trusts that its own persistent pulse is the rhythm of a blessing we cannot begin to fathom but will save us nonetheless.


20



Keep stuff on hand for guests. Be ready to be a good host / hostess at any moment.


16-21



1

Watch YouTube video on how to administer an Epi-pen injection. You have friends with allergies you may need to know how to do this.


11-15



Try not to say insulting or hurtful things, but NEVER write them. (Texts, notes, emails, etc.)


11



Plan a trip someplace where we can see the Northern Lights.


15



Whatever your first knee-jerk reaction is, it’s not always the right one. Sleep on it.


14, 17, 21



Your brain seeks novelty. Try new things as long as you live. Take risks (but not safety risks!)


20



Plan a neighborhood "Winter Olympics" for snow days. Create indoor and outdoor events.


8



Teach them about the law and how it applies to them: Here's what happens if you hurt someone, steal, drive drunk, use or sell drugs, sexting, etc.


12



Watch movie Sky Walk (2019) it’s about a school paper.


14, 18



Stay fit. Try to increase fitness every year in some way: Strength, flexibility, endurance, or a specific sport or practice. Never take your body for granted.


14, 20



Visit Aunt Janet in Morehead City for Seafood Festival in October


2-99



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



You can’t selectively numb feelings. The inclination to drink, use, shop, gamble, etc. is real but it’s a lie that it will make you feel better. Numbing makes this much, much worse. So feel! The good, the bad, the scary. Talk about your feelings, write about them or create something from your feelings. This is how to process in a healthy way.


16, 20



Read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book on creativity. Re-read every few years!


17



Walking at night during the wintertime remember to wear a bright scarf or something reflective. So many pedestrians get hit when it’s dark outside because they’re wearing dark colors and drivers can’t see them.


15, 20



Find one or two scary documentaries on the dangers of gambling. Watch together. Betting on sports is a big thing in some schools and I want to scare the $@!#% out of him about how bad gambling can screw up his life. Check online tools from gamblers anonymous.


15



When they’re upset just ask what they need: space, distraction, or talk about it.


12



Plan trip to Bush Gardens late September


5



The more you want, the less you get.


14, 16, 21