Saturday May 9, 2009

It’s official.  Junior-Senior Banquet is behind us.  As much of a celebration as it is, the event is also a bittersweet reminder of the finite number of days remaining in which to cherish this tenuous reality.  In less than four weeks, it will all be over.

I’d like to mark this milestone—this beginning of the end—by leaving “my” seniors with a short (but not exhaustive) list of some of “Miss Phiphi’s Rules for Living.”  Granted, there are still a few weeks ahead in which I’ll be able to hit you over the head with these, but time tends to sprout wings and break sound barriers in the final days of each school year, so just in case—just in case—I don’t get to preach at you in person, here they are.  And if you can think of any more to add, please do!

• Say “please,” “thank you,” and “how may I help you?” as often as humanly possible.
• When in doubt, wash your hands.  Seriously!
• The hardest choice is usually the right choice.

• Don’t blame God.
• Nobody else is going to guess or meet your needs–pursue wholeness yourself.
• Friendship is a gift to be valued, not an exercise to be judged.

• When someone shows you their true colors, believe them.
• Reserve your trust for those who have earned it.
• Toilet brush–’nuff said.

• Everything you do at home should not necessarily be done in public.
• Always, always, always seek reasons to be grateful.
• Life is a masquerade–take time to look beneath the masks.
• Treat yourself as you would want your child treated.

 

• Part of guarding your heart is keeping it at a safe distance from anything that might harm it…don’t venture into unsafe territory and gamble that you’ll be able to resist the undertow.
• Head & Shoulders, Speed Stick, Dr. Scholl’s Foot Deodorant.  Really.
• Jealousy is possibly the most destructive of emotions—it destroys relationships and it ultimately destroys you.  Don’t let it take hold!
  

• Whatever you might be plotting, take a moment to consider the effect it will have on others, then decide whether it’s worth doing or not.
• Don’t let honesty be a weapon you wield.  Let it be the carefully spoken evidence that you care.
• Accept the mystery of God.
• Dust bunnies are not lethal.  And they make cheap pets.  Pick your battles.

• The only person you can change is yourself.
• Kindness, genuineness, selflessness and loyalty?  Me likey.
• Expect little from others.  Demand much from yourself.

• “Freckles aren’t flaws, freckles aren’t flaws, freckles aren’t flaws…”  Sigh.
• In general, people aren’t weird or dumb or stupid.  They’re just different than you.  And that’s okay.
• Dieting is of the devil.  Sadly, so are multiple chins.
• French Fries, however, are a gift from God.

• You start each day with a limited amount of energy available to you.  Use it wisely.
• If something bothers you and there’s something you can do about it, do it.
• If something bothers you and there’s nothing you can do about it, don’t waste your valuable energy fretting over it.

• Exercising can cause heart attacks.  But it’s safe to eat cheesecake.
• “&#
  8217;tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
• Love.  Love those who deserve it and those who don’t.  Love the lovable and the unlovable.  Love when you feel like it and when you don’t.  Love friends and love strangers.  Love yourself.  Love your enemies.  Love life.  Love God.

• Cling to hope with all your might.
• Most importantly:  If you feel that God is hurting you, ignoring you, rejecting you, or neglecting you, question your conclusions—not Him.

That’s it for now…though I’m pretty sure I could come up with a hundred or so more!   Just so you know, I have cherished every moment I’ve been able to spend with you, beloved seniors, and I’m looking forward to every second still ahead!

    

And all you beloved non-seniors? I can’t wait for next year!