It seems I'm spending today posting essays and notes I put on my Facebook page over the last year or so.  Here's another one, from May 2009.

Things I've Learned


1. I learned long ago that I wasn't put here to validate anyone else's belief system. So if you tell me "I can't believe you (did X)", you'd better start believing it because I did it. Otherwise you're denying reality, and that's not healthy.

2. I give my best performance at the last rehearsal, probably because I'm proving myself for the only audience that truly counts -- my fellow players.

3. Over the years I have struggled to master my emotions. Don't tell me I should get in touch with them -- I know exactly where they are, and I'm not having them over for dinner.

4. On the other hand, if you see me let go, especially with the more violent emotions, then you've pushed me past my endurance limit. At that point, neither running and hiding nor abject apology are viable options for you.

5. Your acquaintances will always try to change something about you, and it will always be something that you do not share in common. Your friends will always widen and deepen what you have in common and respect the differences.

6. Magic exists, but its true practitioners never know they're wielding it.

7. The best gift you can craft for someone is a memory.

8. No holiday should last beyond its date. A world full of extended holidays is as oppressive as a world with no holidays.

9. For every birthday, there is an equal but opposite un-birthday. Celebrate them both.

10. I made a deal with God when I was young: If He would take care of the major problems, I wouldn't bother Him with the small stuff. We've both kept our ends of the bargain.

11. Everyone should have a day every so often when they are told by everyone in their lives how much they are appreciated or cared for or loved. The recipient is obligated to believe wholeheartedly what they are told.

12. There can be too much of a good thing, but you never realize it at the time.

13. In physics, God does not play dice with the universe. In genetics, however, He does play roulette.