The headline says a lot (especially since it is almost a direct quote from one of my friends when we ran into each other at a bar). Another line that is me to a T: "Trouble is my middle name, but in the end I'm not too bad." Honestly, Cyndi Lauper had it nailed with "Girls just want to have fun!"
Some time ago, while reading a book that has since become one of my favorites, I came across the following list of Rules for Living. I found them wildly appropriate, as everyone should!
1. Never panic. Stop. Breathe. Think. (very helpful in almost every situation)
2. No one is thinking about you. They are thinking about themselves, just like you. (We are all rather narcissistic, no?)
3. Never change a haircut or color before an important event.
4. Nothing is either as good or as bad as it seems. (People will forget about everything except themselves. See Rule 2. Silly narcissists.)
5. Do as you would be done by, e.g., thou shalt not kill. (Good advice in general)
6. It is better to buy one expensive item that you really like rather than several cheap ones that you only quite like. (Justification for my Louis Vuitton and about half of my shoes.)
7. Hardly anything matters; if you get upset, ask yourself, "Does this really matter?" (If you won't remember it in 5 years, or in 5 minutes, it doesn't matter.)
8. The key to success is how you pick yourself up from failure.
9. Be honest and kind. (See Rule 5. Also, one always catches more flies with honey than vinegar and it's a lot less work to tell the truth. Who can remember everything said untruthfully with all of the partying that we do?)
10. Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance. (I only have one (very small) closet and one checking account and have to limit my choices.)
11. Trust your instincts, not your overactive imagination. (Really, with my imagination, this is a must!)
12. When overwhelmed by disaster, check if it really is a disaster by doing the following:
a. think "oh, f**k it!" (the easiest way to not get your panties in a bunch)
b. look on the bright side (I do love my rose colored glasses) and if that doesn't work, look on the funny side (maybe this explains my sense of humor...)
If neither of the above works, then maybe it is a disaster and refer to 1 and 4.
13. Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair (I'm the oldest child. Nothing is fair!)
14. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow (of alcohol. hehe. Well, it helps.)
15. Don't regret anything. There wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at that moment. The only thing that you can change is the present, so learn from the past. If you start to regret something and think "I should have..." always add "but then I might have been run over by a truck"
