38 Life Lessons

****See update at end of post.****

I got this in an email from Daisy, and I thought it was worth passing along.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 38 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here goes.

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 to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. Love your parents because they will be gone before you know it.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others' lives. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
15. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
16. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
17. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
18. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
19. The most important sex organ is the brain.
20. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
21. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?
22. Always choose life.
23. Forgive everyone everything.
24. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
26. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
27. Believe in miracles.
28. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
29. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
30. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
31. Your children get only one childhood.
32. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
33. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
34. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
35. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. Yield.
38. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
    

If you had to pick just one of these to live your life by, which one would you choose? And why, if you want to share? I'll tell you mine later.

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OK, here's my bit about my choice.

These were all very good. Not a one of them could I say wasn't worth the remembering. I struggled with narrowing it down past these:

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
18. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
21. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?
28. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
29. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
34. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

But in the end, I picked #29, "Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now." I picked it because if you follow this, most of the others will fall into place. I think if you follow this and throw in the "five years" advice, you can't go wrong. Does that mean I picked 2? Did I cheat on my own instruction? I don't think so. I'd still pick 29.