Life’s Little Instructions

(Given by a 95- year – old friend named William Snell, 1993.)

• Sing in the shower.
• Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
• Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
• Never refuse homemade brownies.
• Strive for excellence, not perfection.
• Plant a tree on your birthday.
• Learn three clean jokes.
• Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
• Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
• Leave everything a little better than you found it.
• Keep it simple.
• Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
• Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
• Be forgiving on yourself and others.
• Say “thank you” a lot.
• Say “please” a lot.
• Avoid negative people.
• Wear polished shoes.
• Remember other people’s birthdays.
• Commit yourself to constant improvement.
• Have a firm handshake.
• Send lots of valentine cards, sign them.
• Look people in the eye.
• Be the first to say “hello.”
• Return all things you borrow.
• Make new friends but cherish the old ones.
• Keep secrets.
• Plant flowers every spring.
• Have a dog.
• Always accept an outstretched hand.
• Stop blaming others.
• Take responsibility for every area of your life.
• Wave at kids on school buses.
• Be there when people need you.
• Don’t expect life to be fair.
• Never underestimate the power of love.
• Drink champagne for no reason at all.
• Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.
• Don’t be afraid to say, “I made a mistake.”
• Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
• Compliment even small improvements.
• Keep your promises no matter what.
• Marry only for love.
• Rekindle old friendships.
• Count your blessings.
• Call your mother And your dad too, if they happen to be alive.