Nothing to do with planning but...

...I love this little document:


It's something that a friend found in the pocket of their grandad's suit. It was written by his mum and given to him as a boy and, apparently, he always had it with him until the day that he died (meaning that it had survived ninety-odd years of jacket/trouser pockets and wallets!).

It's a bit hard to decipher from the scan so here's what it says:

Six things for a boy to know

1. That a quiet voice, courtesy and kind are essential characteristics of a gentleman.
2. That roughness, blustering, and even foolhardiness is not manliness. The most firm men have usually been the most gentle.
3. That muscular strength is not heart.
4. That a brain crammed only with facts is not necessarily a wise one.
5. That the labour impossible to the boy of fourteen will be easy to the man of twenty.
6. That the best capital for a boy is not money, but a love of work, simple tasks, and a heart loyal to his friends and to his God.

Whether you agree with the sentiments or not I think it's a lovely little bit of history.

I'd like to think my Mum gave me a similar manifesto. She told me that I could be whatever I wanted, she wouldn't even blink if I turned out to be gay or wanted a sex-change, just don't become a vicar and never play for Everton. Thankfully religion always seemed too much like hard work and I'm crap at footy. A sex-change however...