LLLife Tips

Lee Love’s Life Tips

***from a completely subjective and unprofessional twenty-something’s perspective

If an opportunity to pet a dog presents itself, pet the dog.
If something you enjoy begins to feel like an unwelcome chore, either seek out a new perspective, or set it down and revisit later. Don’t give up on it.
Do your research. Get away from your routine destinations (be they for the sake of food, travel, or amusement).
If your ‘til we meet again (that thing for which you’ve been longing) shows up at your doorstep, devour it—(wo)man, pastry, or opportunity. Don’t wait.
Change can be scary but extraordinary. Embrace that shit.
Appreciate your parents (or those who stepped up when they didn’t/couldn’t). It takes a lot of work to raise someone so awesome.
(For Mexican travel from SoCal): Don’t fear hopping on a flight out of Mexico to go deeper into Mexico. It’s cost effective with the potential to provide an unexpected, memorable experience.
When you do hop on that flight out of TJ, CBX is KING! A short walk and $12 later (which would probably only afford you one cocktail in a US airport), you’re in the Tijuana airport/country of Mexico.
Before you go ANYWHERE in a foreign country, make sure you have enough of the local currency on hand to get by for the first leg of your trip. You will get lost. You will be hungry. You might as well be prepared.
When you travel, don’t shy away from taking day trips outside of your primary destination. There’s a whole lot of world out there. Experience as much of it as you can.
Grab a souvenir, but don’t make it your mission to bring trinkets home for loved ones. It’s your trip, so take A LOT of pictures to show off and hold dear, and then step away from the camera to delight in the experience.
Research the hell out of where you’re headed, but don’t go overboard on agenda setting. Make a couple of plans and know when it’s beneficial to do certain things (i.e. free admission to museums on Sundays), but ultimately, do what you feel like when you feel like doing it.
If you find yourself in Mexico City, go to El Moro. You won’t regret it.
When you have good news, share it. Happiness is contagious.
If you’re the type to refuse an e-reader in favor of the real thing, swallow your pride. Get one anyway. You can bring multiple books with you ANYWHERE and read in ANY LIGHTING.
Need a travel tip? Ask a local. Bartenders and cab drivers are great resources for everything from touristy spots worth seeing/avoiding, to local events and hidden gems for food and drink.
Even when you’re in a hurry, pause. Don’t miss out on the journey for the sake of the destination.
If you’re going somewhere that site-seeing and fun-having are top priorities, don’t waste too much of your trip on inessential sleep. You can sleep when you get home. When possible, set aside a day for post-vacation recovery.
When you know you’ve got somewhere to be, know how long it’s going to take you to get there. Tardiness can cost you jobs, relationships, and flight change fees.
Wear a seat belt.
Reserve a mental health day for post-vacation recovery. You don’t want to go back to work in a sleepless haze of vacation hangover.
If you get something out of online reviews, give something back to them too. Don’t be selfish.
Home isn’t a place. Home is people (and pets). Just remember that.
Be flexible. Life rarely goes according to plan.
If you’re comfortable with it (and have SENTRI or global entry), parking in TJ is even more cheap and convenient than using CBX.
If your destination is touristy and public transportation is a big question mark, just get the rental car.
We only have one Earth. Don’t litter.
Some destinations make a good night’s sleep more challenging than others. Sometimes splurging for a night of true comfort on an extended vacation is worth it.
Even if you feel like total garbage on a trip, try to rally. You’ll remember what you did and saw more than you’ll remember how you felt.
Los Angeles is Latin for hours of your life disappearing into a vast abyss of brake lights. Plan your commute accordingly, and then head out an additional hour before that.
Use hotwire.com when you’re in a bind. It can provide nice, inexpensive, and welcome shelter in the clutch. The surprise element after purchase is also an unexpected source of excitement.
Cooler food should ALWAYS be locked tightly in Ziploc bags. Do not rely on Tupperware. Do not rely on anything but a well-sealed bag.
Don’t be that person that says you don’t like something you have yet to taste (within reason). If you hate it, then at least your hate is justified with experience. If you like it, then you’ve learned something new about yourself and have discovered a new source of life’s pleasures.
Find a physical activity or two that you enjoy, and then actually do it with some consistency. Exercise, while not always convenient, does make life easier.
Take the good in with the bad.
Keep a snack – something compact, healthy, and filling, like a granola bar or Ziploc of nuts – in your purse, man satchel, fanny pack, camera bag, etc. Hunger tends to strike hard.
Stop and smell the roses.
Actively engage in self-reflection.
Get to know your hometown intimately. Don’t take it for granted.
Nurture your interests and passions. Don’t take them for granted.
At some point in your life, take a quality road trip with friends.
In instances of collaboration, be excited and be open-minded.
Stop at viewpoints. They are there for a reason.
Test run your technology before choosing to rely on it.
Safety first (sometimes).
Appreciate your favorite travel partner. The great ones are rare. They should be valued as precious.
If you want it, write it.
Don’t discount the importance of being physically comfortable.
Push your limits, but know your limits.
While I strongly encourage everyone to try hosting a Champagne Friday, I will settle for this: Start a simple tradition, and use it as an excuse to spend time with the people you love. Find a hiking partner, a book club, a coffee buddy, enjoy White Wine Wednesdays (credit for this one to my new pal, Deanna), or, just fill in the blank with what works for you. The memories you make are going to be worth it.
Make lists – pros/cons, grocery, travel, packing, happiness, gratitude, goals, etc.
Seek to find what’s truly important in your life, and allow those important things to affect you intimately.
Stop talking yourself out of new experiences, and start talking yourself into them.
Be spontaneous.
Take inventory of your quirks. Embrace some, change others. Your life is in no person’s hands but your own.