I celebrated my Silver Wedding Anniversary many, years ago, and somehow Mrs. C8j has managed to not chuck me out on my ear. For that I am thankful. It’s hard to believe it is much more than 25 years ago that we got married, but given all my wrinkles and grey hair. I suppose it isn’t that far out of the question either. For today’s reader, a rare actual picture of me on the blog! Check down at the bottom (please no style discussions about the glasses and such).
Advice to myself 25 years ago
- Relax, for the love of God, you are going to have an amazing 25 years, so just relax and enjoy it. Worrying about every little thing, gives you wrinkles, grey hair and interferes with enjoying now. Yes, there will be some bumps in the road, but they will happen whether you worry or not.
- Be more open with the people who matter in your life, being the strong silent type is great if you want to have ulcers and want to get upset that no one seems to care (maybe they just don’t know?).
- Take time to enjoy things, and take note that you are enjoying things (for all those times when you think you never get what you want). It’s easy to remember the hard times, for some reason the good times are harder to remember.
- Time is going to fly by, stop rushing things, it will all happen in due time.
- Lay off the: donuts, bagels, chips and snacks, you are going to have to lose those extra 40 lbs. some time in your life, why not just not get them.
- The job is a job, that’s it. Your “career” will consist of working with some amazing people, on some cool things, but at the end of it all, the job is the job, your family is your life.
- When you are at work, be at work, work hard, and when you come home, be at home, and forget about work (completely if possible).
- You don’t have to do it all right away, but procrastinating is going to hurt you a few times, don’t wait too long, or you might miss out on a few great things.
- Yes you can do any job for a year, but at the end of that year, you are going to be a miserable sod, so maybe just don’t do it.
- One day, learn how not to look like a grinning idiot in pictures (see below) and for the love of money, sell all your damned Nortel shares in 2000! 🙂
This is not me outlining my mistakes, just how I might make an amazing 25 years, that much more fun.
Congratulations. You did what I should have done 25 years ago, that is, get married. Here I am at 50 still single. Maybe I might be happier with or without a wife, and hindsight is 20/20 but I do think I should have found someone at some point.
Meeting someone my age is easy. Meeting someone to have kids with, not so easy. So cherish the time spent with your wife. I think it is well worth the time.
Congrats on 25 years! Awesome stuff!
I haven’t been married as long as you have, but there is one lesson I would add to your (excellent) list. You can’t change the past, & you can’t control the future. All you have is today, so choose every morning to be the person you want to be.
BCM, congrats on your 25th. I just returned from my own 25th celebration and I met many people on their 50th!!
Great list. They say if you keep your clothes long enough, they will come back in style. I think the young girls are now wearing your glasses. Great pic.
I believe I donated them in 1990 to my Church, if anyone is looking for them! They were actually one of the first series of “photo brown” glasses from the University of Waterloo’s Optometry Clinic.
Congrats, BCM! 1987 was the perfect year, no doubt.
Certainly seemed to be!
Congratulations on 25 years. I wonder what I would tell myself 25 years from now.
Congratulations on 25 years, Alan! Wait, is this a top 10 list on your blog?
I realized that as I was writing it, well, for now, we’ll just say an ordered list of advice, and leave it at that!