Generator

Don't laugh at me. I'm not good at distinguishing whose side you're on. Don't follow me either. If you must, make sure I cannot hear you. Don't breathe in my ear or get too close, but please don't be too far away. I cannot stand it when people are too far away.

Don't chew with your mouth open, don't smack, don't draw attention to your digestion. There are things that separate us from the animal world and they go beyond killing for sport. Don't kill for sport, and if you do be sure I don't find out. Eat and drink your fill, but for god's sake shut up about it.

Don't sleep too much, but don't sleep too little, but be sure to be just ahead of the other guy. Don't be the other guy. Some guy is always the other guy though. So you'll probably be him sometimes. Sorry about that.

Don't ask me for money. I know you need it. I can't help you.

Don't forget certain names and don't forget certain faces. Sometimes these will match up, sometimes they won't. It's up to you to figure out which. (Other people are fine to forget. Forget them as you're meeting them. They are terrible, and they are many.) When you figure out which, don't forget. Write it down. Matter of fact, keep a notebook. Write everything down. Keep a pen or pencil on you. If something strikes you then write it down. People will comment on this. Let them. One day you will be the one with more memories.

Don't forgive. I'm going against the grain on this one. Maybe it's unhealthy. It's OK to be unhealthy every once in a while.

Don't take my friends for granted. They're not yours, they're mine. I'm letting you borrow them, and one day they'll be gone. Don't be intrusive, jealous, obtuse, or inelegant. Don't trip over your own feet. You've had them an awfully long time and should know how to use them properly by now.

Don't multitask when walking with your children. Give them your time and your energy. They didn't ask to be brought into this world. They are your decision, they are your responsibility, treat them as such. If you do your job correctly then one day they will decide what becomes of you. That's a lot of power to give someone, and you start handing it over sooner than you think.

Don't close the door when I go to bed. I want to see and hear beyond my dark little room. When you close the door I'm alone, and I'm alone enough. I'll be alone when I'm sleeping. And, chances are, I'll be alone when I wake up.

Don't sully the world with your constant bickering, nor your constant enthusiasm. There's no way in hell it's as good or as bad as all that. Expand your vocabulary. Indulge in every page you can. I do not, and I pay the price for it nearly every day.

Don't let's quarrel. That is one of my all-time favorite phrases. I think I heard it in a movie once. But truly. Don't let's quarrel. We can find a way around it. I'd like to try, if you'll help me.

Don't expect me to be perfect. I expect me to be perfect and that's exhausting enough. Don't worry, I don't hold you to the same standards. I couldn't possibly. And I don't mean that as an insult. Also: Don't worry.

Don't stay put in one place for too long. You will become comfortable. You will become sedentary. You will die.

Don't die, I beg of you. Do not leave me here alone.