I'm going to do a slight variation on today's post. Instead of "things I've learned that school can't teach you" I'm going to tell you about three things I've learned from strangers. Well... not strangers exactly. Just people who used to be close friends or good acquaintances of some sort, but are now completely removed from my life. And yet... I still follow some strange piece of advice they gave me long ago. Example #1: One of my college roommates was named Kate. We lived together for one and a half years. Sadly, I never see her anymore. We still have mutual friends in Fort Worth and I stumbled across her blog last year and read through it to catch up on her life. But we just haven't really stayed in touch. I love her and miss her, but I don't even have her phone number or email address, so she's practically a stranger now. However, Kate taught me something I have never forgotten that still impacts my life to this day... the necessity to buy ADA (American Dental Association) accepted toothpaste. One time when we were mere 19 year-olds, Kate pointed out that the majority of toothpastes sold in stores are not even approved or recommended by professional dentists. And she was right. If you go down the toothpaste aisle at your local Target, you will find that fewer than half of the pastes for sale have a logo that looks like this... Does it really matter if a toothpaste is ADA accepted? I don't know. Probably not, in fact, considering most people probably use non-approved toothpastes for years. However, I still take Kate's advice to heart and I only buy toothpaste with the symbol above. My teeth and gums would like to thank her. Example #2: During my freshman year of college, my friend Sheena and I worked at the TCU rec center. Actually, she worked there, as an assistant to Damien, the man who ran all the intramural sports at the university. I kinda worked for him too. For like a week. I somehow got myself hired to paint new lines on the intramural play fields. The only thing I remember about this job is that I had to paint chalk lines on the fields in the middle of a hot September Texas day and I pretty much wanted to die. Oh, and I got to drive a golf cart. The end. I think I ended up quitting that job because I got hired as an editor for the school paper a few weeks later. But I did paint that one stupid field before my resignation. Except that's not really the end. Although I don't think I ever saw this Damien fellow again after my freshman year of college, he left one lasting piece of wisdom with me... never use the hip abduction and adduction machines at the gym.  These are the machines I'm talking about... and yes, that's what I look like when I work out. When he first hired Sheena and me, Damien gave us a tour of the rec center at TCU. As we walked past the hip abduction and adduction machines {which are side by side in almost every gym} he told us that they are actually bad for you and we should never use them. And sooo... I never have. I have no idea if Damien was telling the truth or if his claim was founded on any solid research. I simply believed him. And I still do to this day. I am a gym rat to the core. I love working out in an air-conditioned facility with machines and precise timers and strangers to compete against without them knowing. I run on the treadmill. I use the weight machines. But I never, ever use those stupid hip machines. Because Damien said not to, and over ten years later I'm still listening to him. Example #3: My friend Alison has had more impact on my fashion sense and personal style than any other person I  know. We became good friends the last two years of college, around the time I started making enough money to buy high quality clothes and began developing my own style that wasn't just a reflection of what teenagers thought was cool. Mainly, I fell in love with Banana Republic, gold buttons, lace details, and pointy toed shoes. It was the start of the "granny chic" style that still defines me today. And Alison had quite a bit to do with this. We didn't dress exactly alike by any means {she's a bit trendier than me}, but she was a great shopper and very conscious about wearing clothes that were high quality and flattering. She taught me so much about curating one's closet and one's style. She also taught me one specific fashion rule... never wear long skirts. Now this was long before maxi skirts came into style, so if anyone wore long skirts at the time of her advice they were probably a hippie or home-schooled or something. But Alison was adamant. She insisted long skirts would come into style again. And that they should NEVER be worn. She believed they were horrible and unflattering on just about every body type. So when long skirts and dresses started hitting the stores in 2009, I was resistant. No long skirts. Alison, whom I hadn't seen in at least two years, had warned me and I was going to hold strong. One of my best friends even bought a gorgeous long dress from Anthropologie that she wore to her engagement party, but I was sure I'd never do such a thing, even though the dress was stylish and flattering.  It wasn't until the spring of 2011, after maxi dresses had been on trend for about two years, that I let Micah convince me to try on a long dress. To my utter surprise, I actually liked it and bought it. And since then I have bought a handful of long skirts and dresses. Kendi // Sydney So, in a sense, I guess I haven't followed Alison's advice. But, then again, I think I have. Long dresses and skirts are dangerous territory. They don't look good on everyone and only some styles look good on me. I embrace the long skirt, but with caution. Alison taught me well. So what about you? Is there any advice or wisdom you still follow from a long-lost friend? ... Read more