What I've Learned Beta Build 54

A couple of weeks ago, I outlived my father which is a really depressing milestone. He died a few weeks shy of turning 54.

Now I know that while he was dying, and when I reassured him that he had in fact lived a full life, he went to his grave thinking I was full of shit.

I still have a lot to look forward to, many things I haven't experienced.

But I've figured out a few things, and as of this moment, here are a few things that I've learned:

that sticking your neck for others is a good way to hide neck wrinkles,

that it's easy to be scrupulous if you have few scruples,

that all people want to feel special and unique, which makes us all not so special or unique,

that what doesn’t kill you may make you stronger but it can still really hurt like a motherfucker,

that no matter where you go, people are people, and that's not necessarily an uplifting observation,

that when you move, get rid of everything you own except for what you can pack into two suitcases. I promise that within six months, you'll have collected more shit than you'll know what to do with,

that life is give and take, so do more giving. That way, when you move, you'll have less shit to pack,

that it's not what you have in life, but who you have, so the sooner one learns that a relationship is hard work and takes lots of practice, the more money you'll save on hookers,

that one should play by the rules even when no one is watching,

that not all things happen for a reason nor are meant to be--sometimes we just make bad choices,

that having goals is good; having a trust fund is better,

that you should never greet an American woman in America with European air pecks on the cheeks; it could give her American husband a reason to shoot you,

that when you age, you should get very good at crossword puzzles because you are going to be spending more and more time in doctor offices' waiting rooms and there's never anything worth reading there,

that too many people have decided to take the road less traveled by, so go with the road most traveled by--there's a lot less traffic on it than there used to be,

that if you're not at this moment in the middle of a good book, you're wasting your life,

that the eighth wonder of the modern world is how in the hell trains run on time in India,

that consistency is way harder than change.

that only socio-paths never have any doubts,

that humility is knowing how to do something well and making sure only you know about it,

that as bad as the Vietnam War was, when we got around to making movies about it, it would later jump start careers for many black actors, (and that says a lot about who we get to die in disproportionate numbers in our shitty wars),

that growing old happens; growing up doesn't.