the thin line between optimism and delusion…

Some advice from my dad – Big Trav aka Travers W. Paine III – as told by me – 

1.  Working out is good for you and makes the rest of your life easier.  The more working out opportunities you take advantage of the happier and better you will feel.  Being outside is good for you, plus you get to play with fun gear like bike racks, canoe racks, trailer hitches, etc.

2. When you run the 400 – take the race 100 meters at a time and don’t think about the next 100 meters until you get there. 

3.  Always print out a document if you are going to proofread it.  Then when you fix that copy, print out another fresh copy and proofread it again.  Do this until the room is so full of scribbled on drafts that you want to throw yourself out the window and your printer is out of paper. 

4.  Keep chapstick with you at all times.  Don’t leave your chapstick in the car in the summertime. 

5.  Make lots of calendars. 

6.  Write in all caps.

7.  When you go on a trip, send postcards to yourself detailing what you did each day.  That way you can remember and write a journal later, and even if you write a journal during the trip you will still have pretty postcards with postage stamps from the country where you have been.  Also, you will know how long it takes to get the postcards.

8.  Movie popcorn is better than all other popcorn and there is nothing wrong with going into the movie theater and buying popcorn and leaving if you feel like it. 

9.  Travel is more fun if you have read up on the area to which you are traveling beforehand. 

10. Keep your back to the wall in a bar.

11.  Always throw the first punch.  If you don’t believe you should always throw the first punch, you haven’t ever been on the wrong side of the first punch.

12.  Know where your friends are at all times. 

13.  Invest your money in something. 

14.  Invest yourself in something else.

15.  Attend your high school and family reunions, even if you don’t feel like it.  People appreciate it and ;ater you will be glad you went. 

Okay, I know there are a lot of other things I’ve learned from my dad, but I’m sure y’all are tired of reading, so I’ll let you off the hook with 15.  I have an amazing dad who has been through a lot in his lifetime, and I’ve been enriched by all his experiences.  Daddy, I love you, thanks for everything.

Daddy loves to take pictures – so here are some choice pictures.  He has a tendency to make faces for the camera.