Let’s List our Life Lessons!

Well, another week is in the bucket, and I’m feeling like life is moving way too quickly.  When I was a kid, I remember that time felt like it went very slowly.   I could get a whole lot done during my weekends as an industrious seven year old.   I could build forts, read a Ramona Quimby book, eat a pounder bag of MnM’s, watch some television, wash the dog, paint that same (very patient) dog’s toenails, ride my bike, destroy my room, and still have half a Saturday left to burn.  These days I feel like I’m running around with my hair on fire.  As a child during Christmas, time would tick slowly as I waited for the day I could rip the wrapping paper off my presents.  My mom told me that the older I got, the faster time would go.  I didn’t understand it then, but I sure do now. 

We have a veritable buffet of information in front of us on a daily basis now.  The news moves from one catastrophe to the next in under 30 seconds, we are bowled over by countless advertisements, and make innumerable decisions each day.  It’s a lot to digest.

I want life to slow down, because I’m afraid I’m going to forget useful lessons I’ve learned or miss something noteworthy. 

Just recently I saw a post on Facebook that came from a 2006 article written by columnist Regina Bretts.  I her article, Bretts lists the top lessons she has learned throughout her life.  After a quick Google search I learned that, despite the Facebook post’s claim that she was 90 years old, she was in fact under 50 when she wrote the column, and then she updated the list as she was nearing her 50^th birthday (I’ve posted a link to her original article at the end of this week’s blog if you’d like to check it out).

I got inspired by the contents of her list, and thought I should perhaps start recording my own lessons learned.  As I grow older and exponentially wiser (insert my self-deprecating eye-roll here), I can add to the list, and then gift it to some lucky soul when I kick the proverbial bucket.  That way they don’t have to make all the silly mistakes I have throughout the years. 

So, below is the start to my list, and I encourage all of you to make your own.  Maybe we can share our ideas, hone them, and make the greatest list of lessons the world has ever seen.  Let the wisdom flow!

1.      Humor is perhaps the greatest quality in a spouse.

2.      God hears and answers our prayers.

3.      A little bit of exercise is better than no exercise at all.

4.      If there are Oreos in the pantry, just go ahead and eat them.

5.      You probably spend more energy procrastinating than you would just doing the thing you’re trying to avoid in the first place.

6.      Being honest is always better in the long run than telling a lie or avoiding the truth for the sake of peace.  Truth trumps peace.

7.      Never trust a man who doesn’t like cats.

8.      Porch sitting and porch talking are "small-town activities" that everyone should do regularly.

9.      Life’s too short to get worked up by little things.

10.   Give hugs and receive hugs often.

11.   If someone wants to do something nice for you, let them, because it is making them happy in turn.  And say thank you.

12.   Listen to the stories of your elders because they have a lot of wisdom to share.

13.   Talk less, listen more.

14.   Be curious and ask a lot of questions.

15.   When in the midst of a crisis, ask yourself, “What is the worst case scenario?”  This will allow you to either make a plan for that disaster, or you might even find that a worst case scenario isn’t that earth-shattering after all.

16.   You don’t need a crowd of friends to be happy.  All you need are a few quality friends who know you deeply.

17.   Breakfast for dinner is an excellent comfort food.

18.   Fresh sheets tucked in properly make for a superior sleep experience.

19.   Pray first.  Always.

20.   Ask yourself what you would do if you weren’t afraid.  Then do it.

21.   Marry your best friend.

22.   Cheap is usually expensive.

23.   Tell the important people in your life that you love them and what you’ve learned from them.

24.   Volunteering is good for the soul.  Find ways to give back to your community.

25.   Don’t judge people based on what you see on the outside.  You don’t know what sort of burdens they are carrying on the inside.

Here is the link to the article, “Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on”  Read it and get inspired!

http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2006/05/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html