Do you have a favorite 'rule of thumb' for making life a little easier? Possibly something you want to be sure to tell your children. Please tell us what it is in the comment area. Thank you.

When waiting at a traffic signal. or anywhere you are in line in your car, never pull so close to the car ahead that you cannot see the bottom of their rear tires. It prevents your car from sucking in the other car's exhaust gases & heat. Also it gives you maneuvering room in an emergency.

People are stupid.... persons, however, can be reasonably intelligent. realizing this does not make life easier.. but accepting this makes it a little easier to bear. I don't have anything that I would pass on in a catchy phrase.. If I ever have children, anything learned will be by example or through discussion.

it's more likely that they're dumb than malicious.

Hrm...this is a topic that should probably be given more thought than it will likely receive here. With that said:
"Be honest, especially with yourself"
"Figure out what you want before you try to get it"
"Be sure to stop and think, even (especially) if you don't have time to do so"
That's it; I'm fresh out of pithy aphorisms...

Life is a journey, not a destination. Don't always be looking forward and thinking "I'll skip it all now so later I can relax". Who knows what will happen later. Make sure you enjoy what you have now. Who knows, "later" you may think now was the best time of your life.

1) Don't sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff.
2) Happiness is too easy. Pursue joy.
3) Always keep a trash bag in your car.

Hold on to even the silliest and most frivolous or unlikely dreams because it's always good to have them around even if you can't achieve them. Also, be happy, and find what makes you happiest in the whole world and live and breathe it.

Everyone thinks that they are right from their own point of view..

Relax. Enjoy life now.

be clam, be relaxed - when you are relaxed and aware, everything works better.
Oh, and another favorite is "actions speak louder than words" - evaluate others by how they act, not what they say - evaluate yourself this way as well.

"When in doubt, throw it out." This is the closest I get to a rule for life. It's mainly for fly-sorting and judging of possible food, but it also helps with cleaning up the apartment and generally simplifying your life. If there were something I'd want to be sure to tell my children, it would be "My God! Where did you come from? And how do you plan to get back there?"

Never leave any evidence.

Just let it go.

"There's just no time to parade around sulking, I would rather laugh than cry. The rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, we share this place together, and we pitch in to help it die." -G. Graffin. Basically, life is a pointless and inevitable journey towards death, might as well enjoy it. *Very nice ron2112, I like the last one, it touched me .

bill: read Teresa Neilsen Hayden's review of Brad Easton Ellis' AMERICAN PSYCHO for a really funny story about the word 'clam'

Be nice to other people; they outnumber you 5.7 Billion to 1

Always question absolutely everything! Especially if the majority of people seem to follow it or believe in it, then step back and look at it from many different sides - always question. Always think for yourself.

What goes around comes around!

There are two that I think are really important: - Never stop asking questions. - (this one's for when your kids have kids) If you like your children as people, then you've been pretty successful as a parent. Do what you can to make that happen.

"measure twice, cut once."
no, what about "never whistle while you're pissing"
ok, ok, why not "``Bob'' sold it, I bought it, that settles it"
no... lesse "survival is easy; so LIVE."
or "When in doubt, fudge it. when not in doubt, get in doubt."

don't stress it

Well, not a rule of thumb, but a personality trait that makes my life better/happier and may be worth cultivating, if occasionally inconvenient to have. I am good at forgetting unpleasant experiences, or they have less emotional weight for me than pleasant ones. So I sort of view life (at least in memory) through rose-colored glasses. On balance, I think it's pretty useful and positive. I have no idea if it's learnable.

Always look on the bright side of life. (doo doo, doo doo de dootle de doo...)

well thank you, gilly.

No global favorites, but various ones at various times. At the moment, it's "Don't sweat the small stuff... and it's all small stuff."

Do a random act of kindness everyday.

Go with the flow.