Perfect Advice from an Imperfect Mother

EVER come across a book that you just love to pick up anywhere and read from it? I know, you must be answering yes to that very question but what about this one.

Ever come across a book you want to give to everyone you love because you hope it will make them laugh, cry and "get it" like you did? Well, that's what I want to do with this book:

"Do As I Say, Not As I Did" by author Wendy Reid Crisp
(out of print but available used)

I am pretty sure I picked this book up at a -withdrawn- library sale...thought I'd probably use some of the font in my art... then picked it up and began reading it and KNEW it was meant to make a difference for me. I'm big on things making a difference!

Only 173 pages, small in a 5" x 6" stature, packed with humor and wisdom.

Tell you what ("you" meaning anyone who reads this and asks) I'll type out the short titles here and if one strikes your fancy, just ASK and I will happily type out the little story.

Worth the request, I promise.

• Reconsider piercing your face.
• Master the mundane.
• Choose embarrassment over death.
• Four reasons to stop the wedding.
• Establish credit when you don't need it.
• Learn how to buy money.
• A good man is not hard to find if you know what you're looking for.
• Abandon hope of getting enough rest.
• Network with unimportant people.
• If you love him, lie.
• Net worth does not equal self-worth.
• Fight the compulsion to be perfect.
• Avoid married men-and single men with an untanned circle around the third finger of their left hand.
• There are no big breaks.
• Test that yellow paint.
• Stress is not caused by overwork.
• Of course you want to have a baby. You're 27.
• Clout goes with the position, not the person.
• Stop smoking, dammit.
• Share.
• Forgive your friends.
• The call is not always for us.
• It takes a tough woman to cook a tender chicken.
• I don't want to know everything that I demand you tell me.
• Never hesitate to employ the airhead defense.
• Revisit decisions.
• When someone dies, cook.
• Know the difference between power and control.
• Relax; other people are not obsessed with your problems.
• Shop in old classified ads.
• Fail fearlessly.
• Expect an occasional punishment to ridiculously outweigh the crime.
• Make it through the night.
• Temper your ambitious urgency.
• Develop bifocal vision.
• Laugh loudly and the hell with it.
• A good man is hard to find. Part II.
• Hair: the front line of mental health.
• Envy is not knowing the whole story.
• Balance your checkbook, not your life.
• Let the creek meander.
• Enjoy anonymity while you can.
• A good man . . . part III.
• Insomnia is compulsory education.
• A good man . . . part IV.
• Score no unnecessary points.
• Restrain yourself from looking underneath anything.
• As soon as you learn the game, the rules will change.
• You will never regret NOT sleeping with someone.
• Don't look back: learning a lot from Lot's wife.
• Keep your eye on the ball.
• Fast.
• A good man . . . part V.
• Exorcize the demons of common sense.
• A good man . . . part VI.
• The longer the story, the bigger the lie.
• Life is a journey?
• Do the right thing, eve if it's for the wrong reasons.
• Offices are villages, not families.
• A good man . . . part VII.
• Your twenties are a Magic Slate.
• Write letters to the living.
• The horse may talk.
• Don't anthropomorphize machines.
• Don't edit your life story.
• A good man . . . part VIII.
• Play the hand you've been dealt.
• Just say yes.
• Break hearts as you've been taught to break eggs: with one sharp tap on the side of the bowl.
• It's a rough life, but somebody's got to live it.
• Escape is a valid option.
• As the classics teach us, hubris angers the gods.
• Become a psalm reader.
• Now, put away childish things.
• Have courage.