Upon a recent road trip, trying to find a place to chill into ebb (which is not easy these days at these prices), I grabbed a few of my historic, lifetime boxes from out of auspicious storage. One of them contained many magazines – my Playboy collection (!) – and papers, of which the list below was one. It was a print-out of an email sent to me upon the occasion of “Happy and Healthy 2002” on December 31, 2001. The paper is now gnarley at the top where the “from” would be and I tried to search up the email address, to no avail. So if you recognize yourself, please let me know in “comments” and I will qualify you to receive credit here.
Lets we see which of this list of “things to remember” are still relevant today as I transpose them and then I have some other beefs to vent in the second part of this, before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st and we transverse into the year of Our Creation, two-thousand and eighteen.

It begins:

“As we start the New Year…here are some things to remember…”

1. No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission.

2. Most people will be about has happy as they decide to be.

3. Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.

4. Whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have.

5. When your ship comes in…make sure you are willing to unload it.

6. Life is a journey…not a destination. Enjoy the trip!

7. The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.

8. I’ve learned that ultimately, ‘takers’ lose and ‘givers’ win.

9. Life’s precious moments don’t have value unless they are shared.

10. If you don’t start, its certain you will not arrive.

11. He or she who laughs…lasts.

12. Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.

13. Look for opportunities…not guarantees.

14. Success is getting up one more time.

15. Now is the most interesting time of all.

16. When things go wrong…don’t go with them.

I’ll add (17) Voices never change. Not your “opinion”, but our vocal chords, unless afflicted with a malady, remain the song of our speech and communicative instrument, whether you use it for profit or not, throughout our lives, whether you gain weight or lose it. I will always use mine (written and spoken) to go “Isley Brothers” on who and whatever tries to bulls** me or those I care about, be you my few real friends or an acquaintance. (Flip the record over now, for part II).