Here is a piece written by Regina Brett, 54, who is a columnist with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. She says,
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written.”
Which of these do you like best? Why?
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short – enjoy it..
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
12. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it…
14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
15. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
16. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
17. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
25. Always choose life.
26. Forgive but don’t forget.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does..
31. Believe in miracles.
32. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
33. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
34. Your children get only one childhood.
35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.
39. The best is yet to come…
40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
41. Yield.
42. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”
I’ve been struggling, lately, and let a lot of my life fall by the wayside. So now I’m going to go through and comment on every post for which I have something to say, starting with this one and continuing to the most recent. It feels like a step, albeit a very small one, to take towards getting back to ‘me’ again.
I particularly like #39, in large part due to the previous paragraph. The best part of this list for me, however, was how many made me laugh aloud because I’d already learned the lesson the hard way: 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 19, 26, 30.
Kristina,
I am sorry things have not been going well for you lately; I must say that I’m honored (and even a little touched) that making comments on my blog is a small step for you in the direction of getting back to “you” again.
Glad you liked the list; there’s a lot of wisdom in those words!
i like a lot of these but the chocolate and dress eccentric ones were the stand outs, don’t really hear those often…
Becky, yes, those two were a little different–but they both made me smile!
I like several (in fact all) but 23–No one is in charge of your happiness—but you means a lot to me. And 40 get up, dress up, show up no matter how you feel. So many times we just want to stay in bed or have a “pity” party. I find if we get out it changes how we feel and blessings come from being around others. Thanks, Becky, for sharing.
Ann, I agree with 40, too. There are some days when you just want to crawl under some covers and stay there but getting up and showing up does make a difference I feel.
Becky, Letting your children see you cry, is one lesson that resonates with me. I always thought I had to show myself as a strong, resilient mother, so that they would feel safe and secure. Now I am learning that tears are perfectly OK, because they cry too. It isn’t a sign of weakness and it is a lesson to them that we then pick up our bootstraps and carry on.
Lesley, I couldn’t agree more. Although I haven’t let Nathan and Sarah see me every time I cried (some burdens are too much to put on young shoulders) I have never held back my tears just because they were nearby. A parent’s tears teach a child compassion and as you said, it also helps our children see us get over stuff and move on. And it reassures them that giving into tears sometimes is a perfectly okay thing to do.
Great list. I like “Yield.”
Mary, yes, I agree. And isn’t it amazing how a simple, one-word instruction can sometimes be such a hard thing to do?
Anonymous, yes, I agree, the power of chocolate can NOT be underestimated. (Nor can its medicinal properties.) 🙂
Lots of wisdom in these words. Good reminders for the still fresh new year.
Sure wish the guidelines for this new diet understood the power of chocoolate, though. 🙂
Very wise words.
Jenna, yes, it’s obvious those words came from a whole lot of experience and a whole lot of life!
Thanks! May her words and yours live on!
Vernie, I know for sure HER words will; they are terrific!
Regina Brett is a great columnist with the Plain Dealer (Cleveland). Indeed she did write this (great, oft cited piece) when she turned 42. She is, though, not 90. She’s inn her mid-50’s. I don’t think it changes the message, but gee, let’s let her age on normal time.
Cair, yep, I agree! 🙂 Don’t want to make a mid-fifties person be in her nineties already. I copied and pasted the intro from another source and they obviously had their facts a bit confused. I’ll edit my original post and put her back in her fifties where she belongs. Thanks for letting me know.
Beautiful. My favorites are:
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 🙂
17. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
Jessica, it goes without saying the number 9 is oh-so-true! But number 17 is great, too. No matter how old someone gets, if they’re still alive, they still have time to be happy. That’s good news!
“Life is too short…enjoy it” is somewhat like our favorite saying which we live by: “Work hard, play hard”. Oh, and we definitely ‘believe in miracles’!! 🙂
LeeAnne, if a person didn’t believe in miracles, that would be a sort of sad life, wouldn’t it? Thankful for miracles–big and small.