Just a little word of advice.

These little birds seem to be jumping from one painting to another.

I had a very interesting request just yesterday. A good friend asked me what at first caught me off guard completely, almost to the point of being lost for words. I can hear you say it, I am not often at a loss for words.

The question was, "If I was to ask you for the very best bit of advice you could give me, what would it be?"

I have always been a very reluctant giver of advice. I learned fairly early on that giving advice was something to be thought about before doing it. We could all save ourselves a lot of words if we'd only remember that people rarely take advice unless they have to pay for it.That is the first point the second is that the best advice is the advice that a person works out for themselves. The best counsellor is the one who helps the other to come to their own conclusion.

A couple of other things I have learned about the giving of advice is this. Most advice given to young people is ignored and remembered to give to their children when they are older. The other thing is this. The trouble with good advice is that it so often gets in the way of plans already made.

My next reaction to the request of my good friend was to take the request with a sense of humour and give one or two smart answers off the top of my head. 

Never have more children in the car than the car has windows.

Never be in a hurry to terminate a marriage. Remember that one day you might need this man or woman to finish a sentence for you.

There are no guarantees in a marriage if you want that go to an Apple store.

 By now I had almost exhausted all my excuses and I realised that my friend was still being serious. Time for a delaying tactic. "Can I go for a walk and get back to you on my return?"

So the walk has come and gone and I have taken a lot of time and here are what I have to offer as the bit of, or bits, of advice in such a position I would offer.

Forget each kindness that you do as soon as you have done it.
Forget any praise that comes to you the moment it is given.
Forget any slander you hear before you repeat it.
Forget each spite, each sneer, whenever you meet them.

Remember every promise made and keep it to the letter.
Remember those who give you help and be a grateful debtor.
Remember all the happiness that comes your way.
Remember good, remember the truth.

Forget each worry and distress instead be hopeful and forgiving.

Do this and you will find, that as you age that love will flow towards you and surround you.

Yes, I know typical me why to say something in one sentence if I can find twenty to say the same thing. To sum up all of those little pearls from my thoughts and meditations over the past few months of the ancient texts. 

Go with the flow and live in the Tao.

I am sure you might have given better advice than I have come up with but it is my honest attempt to meet my friends request in an honest spirit. Have a wonderful day.