Some lessons I learned while attending Mardi Gras this year:

1. Life seldom goes the way you hope it will. Thus, we need to be flexible in our expectations. There is nothing wrong with wanting great outcomes. We better be ready, however, for the opposite.

2. More doesn't mean better when on vacation. Plan two to three important moments, and enjoy them while they last. Planning to visit ten tourist sites in one or two days only causes grief and premature hair loss.

3. We don't need excuses to celebrate events with the glee of a child. Attending parades is just as fun today as it was when I was the size of a Hobbit.

4. We can always learn from others if we are willing to. I learned how to identify expensive versus cheap beads prior to trying to catch them from a float, how to cook two separate but tasty dishes, regional dialect, the history behind using Chicory in coffee in New Orleans, how beautiful Japanese Magnolia (or, Saucer Magnolia) trees are (and that they only bloom at this time of year), and that there really are distinctly different varieties of hot sauce, some of which come with warning labels, and all of which make me sweat like a farm animal in July.

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I was on a plane recently, sitting in first class, minding my business, when a well-dressed man of about fifty years of age sat down next to me. After exchanging pleasantries, we fell quiet again as I set about to working on some things on my laptop and he began to work on some notes for a lecture or speech he seemed to be preparing for. Ten minutes later, I noticed that he was a member of the Catholic church of some stature, and he was making notes on sections from the Bible for a conference he was to speak at. "I grew up Catholic," I said, making small talk. He smiled at me, but didn't respond, most likely annoyed at my attempt at broaching a conversation.

A while later, we were served snack that consisted of an assortment of roasted nuts. I picked at the cashews and peanuts, leaving behind the almonds, which I dislike. The clergyman next to me devoured his snack, leaving nothing behind as evidence that he had partaken in the same snake.

A short while after that, our lunch arrived, and we both coincidentally decided to eat the rice and Mexican chicken meal. At this point, I was rather hungry, so I attacked my food with unabashed enthusiasm (I won't talk about the incident that occurred when I tried to open my salad dressing). When I had eaten both my salad and my rice with chicken, I looked over at my new friend, who had painstakingly stacked his pieces of chicken into a pile on the corner of his plate. He had, however, eaten the rice. I found this odd, and so I made a small comment to break the silence between us. "Your chicken not good?" I said. He looked at me as if I were crazy, and as I smiled and dabbed the corners of my mouth with my napkin, I became keenly aware of my own stupidity.

As I realized that it was in fact Friday (during Lent, no less), and that I had already told him that I had been raised Catholic (and then devoured my chicken meal) I quickly tried to make amends for my absentmindedness by making a peace offering.

"You want the rest of my nuts?" I said. He looked away, pained, and the conversation ended. I put my headphones back on, vowing to both shut my mouth for the rest of the flight and to think more carefully prior to opening it in the future.

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If you took the mandated Driver's Education class back in high school, you have the skills you need to immediately reduce stress and increase your personal productivity. That is, if you were paying attention.

Four tools you need to utilize:

• Attitude
• Rearview mirror
• Windshield
• Sideview mirrors

Attitude is the most important tool of the bunch. In Driver's Ed, we learned that the key to not increasing your mom and dad's insurance premiums was defensive driving, or identifying potential problems, predicting impact of those obstacles, deciding on a course of action, and executing the action in order to avoid an accident. Potential problems abound: weather conditions, road conditions, behavior of other drivers, wild animals, etc. With experience, we learn to predict the impact of the various sorts of problems, and can take preventative action to ensure our safety.

The rearview mirror plays an important role in our everyday driving. It allows us to see that which is behind us. It also allows us to glance at where we've been, to see how far we've come, and to see if problems are approaching from the rear.

The windshield is an obvious asset, as it allows us to move forward safely, and to anticipate obstacles that may occur in the near or distant future.

The sideview mirrors are just as important, though they probably represent the most neglected tool in a driver's toolbox. Sideview mirrors allow us to stay centered, to avoid sideswiping other vehicles, and to maintain on focus on how our car is related in space to those around us. If we need to make a lane change on the go, we first check our sideview.

Healthy living is analogous to good driving. We need to start with the right attitude. For me, this means adopting the belief that people are generally good, and have good intentions in their interactions with others. We also need to be able to anticipate obstacles and problems, and realize that they are part of life. Our mirrors are best utilized in tandem, whereby we check our rearview (to see where we've been), keep most of our attention forward (via the windshield), and from time to time check our sideviews to ensure that others aren't driving in our blindspot, and that we can make on-the-fly decisions without crashing or sideswiping other vehicles.

Most obstacles can be circumvented via preventative measures. When faced with the unexpected, we can take immediate action in order to reduce the impact these obstacles have on our quality of life. Swift, decisive actions rule the day, keep us safe, and help get us to our ultimate destinations. Thus, the same skills that we learned as fifteen and sixteen year olds hold true in the larger context of life. I don't know about you, but I'm glad that this was one class where I actually paid attention…

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