my advice to you is this.

I was thinking about some of the things I've recently enjoyed, some of them on the internet and some of them off of it, and I thought I'd share them with the world at large, in case anyone is interested. Whether or not you take my advice on any of this is, obviously, entirely up to you. I refuse to be held responsible for any death, injury, or emotional damage sustained as a result of actions taken in response to this post. Understood? Not responsible. Okay.

First, I recommend eating mint ice cream while driving down the highway at sunset. It's slightly dangerous and usually results in a sticky shirt front, but is well worth the extra laundry soap.

I also recommend that you watch "The Butterfly Circus" It's really good, and it'll only take about twenty minutes of your life (exactly twenty minutes if you watch all the credits).

"Validation" is another short film worth spending sixteen and a half minutes on, with the following disclaimer. The film contains about equal parts fluff, self-esteem-booster, and sappy romance; in spite of which, I find it a touching tale, and a poignant reminder to look for the good in others, and to tell them when we see it.

While I'm on YouTube, "Spin" is entertaining.

"The Hitchhiker's Trilogy" (a book) (which is not a trilogy) is a rollicking good time. Read it, however, at your own peril; the chances of your sanity surviving the experience are pretty slim.

I recommend having a six-year-old little brother who memorizes Men At Work songs and sings them at the dinner table, and a three-year-old brother who tells you that you are the "perfect lady" who he found laying down on a cliff by the garden and subsequently married, and who knows "the perfect way to walk".

I recommend playing with little boys named Landon who laugh at you when you do silly things and love to see you no matter what. Their cheerful demeanor in the face of difficulty and their ability to brighten the glummest day will inspire you every time, I guarantee it.

I don't know that I necessarily advise throwing eighty bales of hay off a flatbed and stacking them in the barn, but if you're going to do it, I do recommend doing it happily and with two small boys trying to help. This makes it much more exciting, and keeps you occupied with trying to keep people from falling onto the concrete, instead of obsessively counting bales.

If you're trying to learn to play the cello, I recommend practicing between lessons.

If you're trying to learn to knit, I recommend patience in astronomical quantities.

I strongly advise you to wear fuzzy socks and skate around on the kitchen floor.

It strikes me as a very good idea to pull out your large appliances (like fridges and stoves, for example) and clean behind them, at regular intervals shorter than five years.

I recommend singing loudly, whether anyone's listening or not.

I advise you to watch the sunset, go to bed on time, stay up late, visit friends, keep a journal, allow mistakes to keep you humble, and drink plenty of apple cider.

And while you're at it, get me some, too.