Advice

Some people hate advice. "Assvice", it is called, by those who feel irritated upon hearing it. They believe it holds judgement, an insinuation that something they are doing could be done alot better. Or even a little bit.

I love advice. Pearls of wisdom, opinions, what-have-you. Maybe it's the writer in me, seeking inspiration from the ordinary. Even if I don't heed it, I like to hear it - words that are important to those that I love and even those that I don't.

Here is some great advice that I have received, or thoughts that are strung together in a manner so succinct and interesting that I can not help but remember. Please share yours too, as I mentioned, I love to hear it.

"It's better to be liked than to be right." - my husband, in terms of finding peace in the workplace. Wish I had heeded this one more.

"Confidence is critical." - my friend Regina, on a porch of a boys bunk when we were 16 years old. She was effortlessly confident and quirky, in all the places that I was shy and safe.

"Don't wear blazers or any jacket that is longer than your waist." - My sister Leslie, who has a keen awareness of what fits a woman best.

"Never hesitate to make your husband feel a little jealous." - My mother, who routinely drives my father crazy with this. But they have been married for almost 32 years.

"Don't let a boy touch anything inside your reverse triangle." - My friend Denise, via her mother. The triangle is the route drawn from the top of your boobs down to your crotch. I may not have lived this one, but my daughter sure will *right?*

"You are not important enough to be this stressed out" - Suzy, a co-worker senior to me when I was a lowly scrub in beauty PR.

"Where you can't find a mensch, be one." - My dad, paraphrasing his dad, and a talmudic quote.

"Don't take that Percocet. You may never stop." - My sister in law after my C-secion. A psychologist who was quietly assessing my shaky emotional state and gleefully filled prescription.

"People who are secure with who they are have a special glow." - Ross, a boy I dated for a minute or two.

"Learn to play tennis or ski. These are social sports." - My dad, again. He may have been channeling the 80s corporate culture, so perhaps insert "golf" here.

"Love is not a feeling, it is a decision" - The rabbi who married A and me.

"Floss." - A variety of dentists.

"Nothing is harder than being a first time mom" - My friend Adina, after her birthing her third boy in five years.

"Good public speaking skills are crucial in life." - My dad, again. This one I listened to.

"They hyperbole of grief...is often used to fill the vacuum left by a personality." - A writer who had the balls to comment on the ridiculous outpouring of grief that occurred after the death of a celebrity who I will keep nameless here.

"Don't brush curly hair." - I wish I could remember who to thank for this one.

"Close female friendships are the best dress rehearsal for what it takes to make a marraige work." - I read this somewhere and could not agree more.

"When it comes to kids eating habits, look at a week, instead of each day, to assess nutritional success." - Dr. Sears.

"Everyone likes to be asked about something they enjoy doing outside of work." - my husband

"Your body is pre-programmed to be a certain weight. Unless you take extreme measures in either direction, you'll keep staying pretty much at where you were meant to be." - Recent NY Times article. I always had a hunch this is true.

"Your children are like a videotape, recording every move that you make." - Commercial

"No talk!" - My daughter Chloe, when I chat on the phone while playing with her.

"The state of a person's towels is a good indicator of the state of a person's life." - Oprah