The past week has really had a great summer feel about it.
Warm, sunny days. Humidity. A few thunderstorms. Pretty much your typical West Virginia summer.
But it wasn't the weather that told me summer was right around the corner.
No, it was my first official case of the summer malaise.
Maybe it was aggravated by a shorter-than-usual work week (thanks to Memorial Day), but it just seemed like I couldn't get anything done.
When I looked at my "to-do" list at the end of the week, it was apparent by those items checked off I had done a lot, but it just seemed like I could never get ahead of the game.
Take for instance this column.
I'll usually have my Saturday and Sunday column ideas by Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll write one or both on Thursday and almost always have both done by no later than noon on Friday.
This week I gave my column a rest on Saturday and focused on Sunday.
At 8 p.m. Friday, after a three-mile walk-run in 82-degree heat and near-100 percent humidity (or at least it felt like it), the idea came to me: Advice for graduating high school seniors.
Maybe it was the fact I've been thinking back to my high school days that the idea finally popped into my head.
And maybe it was because I was about to pass out that it seemed like a great idea at the time.
But hey, here goes:
-- If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. OK, so I stole this one. But nobody knows who said it first. Believe me, I looked for it on the Internet with no success.
-- Avoid 8 a.m. classes in college. Trust me, you'll thank me for this one later.
-- Set goals, but remember to be flexible. You will likely change you career choice before you finish college. I know people who changed their majors four to five times before they finally graduated. Most of them minored in socializing. Their parents were doctors, lawyers or owned their own companies. Keep that in mind when people tell you money won't buy you happiness. It might not, but it will allow you more time to look for it.
-- Work hard, trust in God and don't forget somebody loves you. Try not to screw it up. Corny, sure. But hey, I'm almost 40 now. You expect me to sound like a teen-ager?
Now granted, there is better advice out there.
In fact, advice about life is a well-worn topic. People have written books on advice for life. They usually sell for anywhere between $15.99 and $39.95. They have some great words of wisdom.
Remember, you only paid $1.25 for this newspaper. Which brings today's final lesson: You get what you pay for.
John G. Miller is managing editor of The Exponent Telegram. He can be reached at 626-1473 or by e-mail at jmiller@exponent-telegram.com
