I know everybody has been waiting with bated breath for pearls of wisdom to roll out of the lips of the "oracle of Appleton" (me). Actually my plan was to start the New Year with my advice on living life and getting rich quick. I know the second part "getting rich quick" is the subject that interests everybody.
Now to keep things in perspective, I had had multiple walking partners this last morning of the year and I learned that bowling, driving cars fast and "shop till you drop" is what is important. Actually money is what allows you to do what is fun in life. My walking partners understand the "fun" part.
The flip side of having fun and spending money is getting your hands on the green currency. That will be a major part of this website so stay tuned.
In the meantime, I'd like to wish each and every visitor to this site a VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. Note the inclusion of the word prosperous.
Just Chas.
Dear Dad,
It is with much happiness that I am able to give to you this website for Christmas. This project has developed out of the immense respect and trust your children - all of us - have for you and your vast and wide wisdom (with a teeny, tiny hint from you of course *wink, wink*). Who would have guessed you wanted a website?! As usual, you're ahead of the technical curve. What will all the other dad's say when you tell them you have a blog?!!!
I look to you as a guide father, as I always have, because I love and trust you.
So what *I* personally hope to get out of this website is a daily chuckle, "A-Ha" moment, Andrews Rule, piece of financial wisdom, or any other life guidance you always have and always will freely and happily dispense for your family.
Merry Christmas dad.
Love,
Margaret
There are times where the light bulb goes on. Somebody says something and it changes your thought pattern, luckly for me it was my dad where one of those moments happened.
I believe we were on the 5th hole after two pretty good drives by both of us, waiting for the group ahead of us to move along. The day was perfect, a summertime perfect. As we waited in the cart he put his arm around me and said I could ask any question I wanted and he would give me his "divine" wisdom.
I said that I just wanted to be happy so "what is happiness". It was a joke question really, I mean who really knows what happiness is. I got two answers, both divine in their wisdom. The first.....
"Happiness is stupidity", the though pattern is that we need to be just stupid enough not to know any better. what a great answer and lets face it, don't we all want to be just stupid enough to think everything is great.
The second....
"Happiness is continual improvement". This one took a little bit to sink in but how can you argue the logic. Just knowing we are getting a little better at something is enough to allow happiness to creep in.
This was my light bulb moment, it is that comment that pushed me forward to finish school, to try to always better myself and my family and will be the wisdom that I will, when the time is right, pass along to my kids.
As a dad myself I hope that I can have that kind of influence on my kids someday, to let them know "be stupid enough to think that continual improvement can make you happy".
Merry Christmas Dad, enjoy the new outlet to let people all over the world basque in your divine wisdom.
Love
Paul
My dad gave me one dollar bill
'cause I'm his smartest son.
And I swapped it for two shiny quarters
'cause two is more than one!
And then I took the quarters
And traded them to Lou
For three dimes---I guess he don't know
That three is more than two!
Just then, along came old blind Bates
And just 'cause he can't see
He gave me four nickles for my three dimes,
And four is more than three!
And I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool game me five pennies for them,
and five is more than four!
And then I went and showed my dad,
and he got red in the cheeks
And closed his eyes and shook his head-
too proud of me to speak!
- Shel Silverstein