Learn how to use solitude for growth and insight.
Look at landscapes and cemeteries;
notice the texture of things.
Get out of the desert in the fall. Go someplace
that has fall colors. Paste them onto your faces,
necks, and chests. Walk proudly.
Laugh immeasurably.
Learn how silence opens the soul.
If you crave magic, paint with the brush of wind.
Walk along a river. If it’s dry, walk in it.
Wish others well, even if they cut you off in traffic.
Do things that can’t be digitized.
Say things that have no questions.
Ask questions that have no answers.
Stand your ground when it’s right;
compromise to move on.
Don’t live in fear. That’s living life half.
Kiss. Don’t forget to kiss. Add fire often.
Love passionately and fearlessly.
Stand naked in the rain.
Rejoice in the variety of life.
Seek spirituality.
As much as possible, remain loyal
to your friends and family.
Proper grammar will not ruin you.
Do something creative often.
Make no more tracks than necessary.
Remember, there’s always a “work around.”
Praise the sounds of nature like music.
Never forget those sounds.
Read books.
Learn to cook.
No matter how old you are,
you are always young and good looking.
Remember how the kindnesses of men and women
move through the universe.
Clean off the day with a prayer of gratitude.
Practice forgiveness and redemption.
Say, Amen!
Often.
From: A Preface To The Universe:
Women, Getting Older, and Other Mysteries
Unpub. MS p. 17
