20%

I'm going to drop a little Facts of Life...

you take the good, you take the bad... SING IT! 

...on you right now. Ready?

happiness = balance

I didn't invent that, alright? But I did realize that it's a little too vague to be useful. So, I did a little new-age Girl Math and determined that it's alright if approximately 20% of your life sucks.

Let me break it down for you.

1/5 of the things you own or do can be weird

After dating and dating and dating and dating and dating some more, I learned that a guy with a Star Wars Lego collection (that's weird, dude) is good dating material as long as he owns grown-up furniture, wears big-boy clothes, has some matching plates and utensils, and drives a decent* car.

Similarly, it's cool with me if he plays Dungeons and Dorklords (or whatever) when I learn that he also volunteers at a dog shelter, holds down a respectable job, calls his parents on their birthdays, and keeps a spreadsheet to balance his home budget.

1/5 of your family members can be odd

You have a mom who's off her rocker, but your dad and aunt and granny and brother are cool? Then you're cool, too.

1/5 of the things you say can be negative

Everyone bitches about work and friends and traffic. That's normal. But it's important to keep your negativity  in check. When someone asks you how your day is, give her this kind of answer: "Spilled my coffee all over these white pants, but my hair smells heavenly and my in-box is empty and these strawberries will be a great snack later and I just got a really nice text from my sister."

See? That's basically a positive response, even though you still had a chance to bitch about your stained pants.

you might be accused of being that guy

spend 1/5 of your time doing nothing

I basically mean it's alright to spend your otherwise-unscheduled time doing nothing. Watch Bravo. Paint your toe nails. Have a beer. Stare out the window.

Take a mental break.

You deserve it, what with all the lame stuff you do, crazy family members you have, and whining.


*Decent = clean and well-maintained, not necessarily expensive.