AGED ADVICE: Spilled Milk #30

61 Things I've Learned in 61 Years

I don’t know much, but I know enough.

Monday July 4th is my birthday. We thought it might be nice to write down 61 things I know to be true since I turn 61 next week. When my kid turns 18, I will hit you with my 100 things I want my child to know, a much different type of list to be sure.

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1.     Food is good. Food with a story is better. Food with a story you haven't heard of is better than that. And food with a story that you haven't heard of, but you can relate to, is better than anything.

2.     Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.

3.     Before you open your mouth to speak, ask yourself these 3 questions: is it true? Does it need to be said? And if it is true and needs to be said is it up to you to say it? That last one makes me shut up more times than I can count

4.     Parenthood is the greatest gift of all…I love my dad for all he did for me and I love my son for helping me learn to be the man I want to be. Being a dad is emotionally complex. The title of ‘dad’ is the one I treasure the most.

5.     Raw cookie dough is not good to eat.  It tastes like raw flour with sugar and other crap in it. It's terrible! Cooked cookie dough is amazing. I call it a cookie.

6.     A potato may look like a dirty stone, but cutting it and frying it will create unparalleled pleasure. Think about that every time you see something unattractive.

7.     Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen.

8.     I don't want people to judge books by their cover, I want people to be open minded to the rest of the world. Don’t practice contempt prior to investigation, see #6.

9.     Being honest about where you come from and what your story is, I believe, the only way to really connect with other people.

10.  Starting the day without coffee just doesn’t feel right.