The ABCs of a Good Life

Life’s like Scrabble, you shouldn’t save your good letters, you’ve got to use them as soon as you get them. —T.R. Richmond

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness…Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day. —E.B. White

Above: What words will you make with your life’s letters?


Life is like Scrabble.

You’re dealt a random hand of tiles with which you must make do.

Over time, you have opportunities to ditch the worse tiles and take a chance on picking up some new, (hopefully) better ones.

Some players keep getting the wrong combination of letters, others win the lexical lottery time and again.

Regardless, you don’t have a right to the letters you believe you should have been dealt with. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding.

You can’t play alone; success is intimately connected to the actions of other players.

What you do, where you go builds on what others have done.

You win some and you lose some, but you have to keep playing.

Below are a few basic rules that will help you up your game. Though simple, I find that I need reminding every now and then.

Awe over Anger.

Brevity over Bluster.

Character over Competence.

Discipline over Dishonor.

Excellence over Ego.

Faith over Fear.

Gratitude over Grief.

Hope over Hate.

Integrity over Intelligence.

Joy over Jealousy.

Kindness over Knavery.

Love over Lust.

Morals over Money.

Nice over Nasty.

Optimism over Obscenity.

Patience over Pride.

Questions over Quibbles.

Relaxed over Rushed.

Scruples over Sin.

Trust over Timidity.

Unique over Universal.

Virtue over Vice.

Wisdom over Weakness.

Xenial over Xenophobic.

Yes over Yuck.

Zeal over Zilch.


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