50 Lessons in Life

By Regina Brett
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

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. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

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. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative, i.e. dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

The "Supers"

(Bear with me on this one. My youngest, "Clyde", has been sick the past couple of days. Many episodes of "Super Friends" have been viewed in 48-hours' time!)

Do you remember the "Super Friends" cartoons on Saturday TV? I believe they aired in the 70's. The characters varied, with different super heroes being part of the crew. The DVD set we have includes the characters above: Aquaman, Robin, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (but also included the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, with their monkey sidekick, Gleek).

But I digress.

I was just thinking how cool the premise of this show was. I mean, whenever there was a problem of any type, any where in the world, all of the military and governments had this direct "disaster" line to the Super Friends' Hall of Justice. The alert call would go something like this: "Super Friends, a huge mutant iceberg is swallowing up every ship in our navy! Please come help us!" And, no matter what the variety or size of the enemy or threat, the Super Friends always came through somehow. Amazing!

I think this is such a great concept. Imagine what the world would be like if we had such a thing in place? Super heroes to handle any disaster or threat...wow.

The really, really cool thing is that we do have a direct line: to God, Who is much more powerful and wise than the Super Friends. Wouldn't it be incredible if all the world leaders could grasp this???

What Did You Say?

Just to let my readers know, I have added "comment moderation" to this blog. I have found that I sometimes miss comments left on older posts. And, of course, I want to see every wise word left by every reader! (wink! wink!) After you leave a comment, blogger will store it for me to view the next time I sign in. Then I will have to approve it before it actually shows up on my blog. Thanks for your understanding!

The Small World of Blogging

Okay, my friends. Follow the bouncing ball with me for a moment. Eldest son follows link from his own blog profile, to find other blogs where bloggers have similar interests. Asks to go to one of those blogs. Mom (that's me!) must check said blogger out to make sure blogger is not some adult posing as a kid, etc. Mom goes to blog(s) of said blogger. Reads several interesting posts, also noting last name of blogger sounds really familiar. Finds links to blogger's parents' blogs. Discovers that the blogger is the son of someone my husband and I knew in college! No way!!! (So, yes, son, you may comment on his son's blog.)

Hubby and I met at Central Bible College, in Springfield, MO. The campus only had about 1,100 students. I had a philosophy class with the jr. blogger's dad. One day, I used chapel time (I know, shame on me!) for a rendezvous at the local Denny's with some other college chums (names omitted to protect the guilty!). Denny's had this great "free refills on coffee" policy. Except that yours truly has a very low tolerance for caffeine. By time philosophy class rolled around, I had downed at least 4 cups of Denny's best. I was wired! The slightest noise made me react like a bomb had gone off! The two gentlemen seated next to me (blogger sr. being one of them) thought it was a neat trick to pop the caps off their highlighters, just to see me react. They enjoyed it. I got dizzy from all the whiplash-inducing responses to the noise of a cap dropping on the tile floor. I'm sure our professor, Bro. Black, thought I'd lost my mind!

So over 18 years later, I find this guy's blog. And I didn't mention the coffee-induced hyper state. Didn't even hint at it. I mean, we went to college together for a few years. I'm sure there were many more outstanding memories than my caffeine trip. And what does he say? Of course he remembered philosophy class. He was "twitching" just thinking about it! Can you believe that? Ha!

Lots of water under the bridge, my friend. But it's good to know you're doing well, and God is using you and your family in the furthering of His kingdom. Wouldn't it be great if our kids could be great blogging buddies?

Ah, the wonders of the www.

Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head...

We are definitely having some wet, dreary weather in northeast Ohio today! Actually, it has been here since Saturday evening. It's really a bit chilly for this time of year, but you won't hear me complaining! The weatherman is saying it will be back around 90 in a couple of days.

So it sets me to wondering...

What is your favorite season/weather?

My favorite times of the year are late spring and early fall. I love the new, green look to the world after winter. I also love the beauty of a crisp, sunny fall day, with the trees clothed in their autumn finery. My favorite temperature is between 70 and 75 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course!).

What is your favorite???

New Life After a Tornado

Our friends L and M live in Lodi, Ohio. There was a tornado there last week. The day after the tornado they took this picture in their butterfly garden. What a neat illustration of how God always brings life after death!

monarch emerging from chrysalis

Quiz: What Is In That Picture???

What is it? Can you guess?

And the answer is.....

Greensburg, Kansas, USD 422 school buildings! Yes, they began school this week! Not even a tornado could keep them from starting school on time.

Read all about it here.

GO RANGERS!

Fitting Photo

I saw this on the Wichita Eagle website, and wanted to share it. Please continue to keep Greensburg and the residents in your thoughts and prayers. Someone recently asked if they can still help? Definitely! There's a link to Greensburg's home page on my other blog (see sidebar and click on "Greensburg Home Page").

That Song Is Stuck in My Head!

This past weekend, the Akron Beacon Journal ran a feature story in their entertainment section called, "Shame That Tune." The premise was that most of us have some song (or multiple songs) that set our feet to dancing or our fingers to tapping--even if they were lame or annoying songs. (Read: "Come On Get Happy" by the Partridge Family.)

My husband and I had fun naming songs that we knew lyrics to, or that had memories for us, that really weren't great songs, but were just part of our history. Or songs that reminded us of events in our lives.

So I'm curious...what songs bring back memories for you? What oldies remind you of good/happy/bad/sad times in your life? I look forward to hearing your memories!

Friday Ramblings

I'm having a brain sneeze this morning. My thoughts are kind of "all over the place".

* * * * * * * * * *


(Clouds in northeast Ohio, August 8, 2007)

We had storms rip through northeast Ohio yesterday afternoon. I have never liked thunderstorms--especially those greenish ones with the swirling clouds. Since the tornado hit Greensburg, I am even more skittish. Thankfully, we were safe. Only one person lost their life yesterday (as well as some livestock at a dairy farm). It could have been worse.

* * * * * * * * * *

Speaking of Greensburg, I experienced another night of "mourning" Tuesday evening. It brought tears, anguish, and many prayers for those I know and love in Greensburg.

* * * * * * * * * *

You should check out the afghan updates for "Rebuilding Greensburg--Block by Block". Laura Spradlin and all her contributors definitely deserve many kudos for their labor of love. The picture below is from her blog. That's only a few days' worth of squares, sent to her by knitters from all over the United States, Canada, and other parts of the WORLD! (If you see a bright yellow item in the lower righthand corner, that's part of a scarf made by yours truly--a non-knitter if there ever was one!)



* * * * * * * * * *




On a completely different note, we had to do the "school supplies" shopping trip a couple of days ago. We haven't done this for about 5 years, as we were home schooling. You see, when you home school, you buy supplies when they're on sale, and as you need them. As we walked toward the checkout with our "loot," it was a bit overwhelming. I don't remember needing all this stuff when I was a kid! We had a few notebooks, some pens and pencils, a bottle of glue, and some folders. We didn't need dry erase markers, special expandable folders, tab dividers, etc. And we definitely didn't have to supply the school with tissues, paper towel, and disinfectant wipes! (As a side note, I found a website that is an opportunity for helping school kids in Iraq. Check it out here.)

* * * * * * * * * *

Today is Friday, friends! Rejoice!

Another Cutie Patootie Pic of the Great Nephew

He's a handsome little guy, isn't he?

Understanding Your Paycheck

Gross pay: $1,222.02

Income Tax: $244.40
Outgo Tax: $45.21
State Tax: $61.10
Interstate Tax: $5.89
County Tax: $6.11
City Tax: $12.22
Rural Tax: $4.44
Back Tax: $1.11
Front Tax: $1.16
Side Tax: $1.61
Up Tax: $2.22
Down Tax: $1.11
Tic-Tacs: $1.98
Thumbtacks: $3.93
Carpet Tacks: $.98
Stadium Tax: $.69
Flat Tax: $8.32
Surtax: $3.46
Ma'am Tax: $2.60
Parking Fee: $5.00
No Parking Fee: $10.00
F.I.C.A.: $81.88
T.G.I.F.: $9.95
Life Insurance: $5.85
Health Insurance: $16.23
Disability: $2.50
Ability: $.25
Liability: $3.41
Dental Insurance: $4.50
Mental Insurance: $4.33
Reassurance: $.11
Coffee: $6.85
Coffee Cups: $66.51
Calendar: $3.06
Floor Rental: $16.85
Chair Rental: $.32
Desk Rental: $4.32
Union Dues: $5.85
Union Don'ts: $3.77
Cash Advances: $.69
Cash Retreats: $121.35
Overtime: $1.26
Undertime: $54.83
Eastern Time: $9.00
Central Time: $8.00
Mountain Time: $7.00
Pacific Time:$6.00
GMT: $24.00
Time Out: $12.21
Oxygen: $10.02
Water: $16.54
Electricity: $38.23
Heat: $51.42
Air: $46.83
Miscellaneous: $154.54
Take Home Pay: $0000.02

(This is where the expression "my 2 cents" came from...)

It's Monday

Rambling on a Friday

You just never know what you're going to find on this blog, do you? That's the fun of a "ramblings" blog. Whatever happens, happens. How profound I'm feeling on this Friday. Humor me. It's MY blog, after all!

Okay. Enough of that.

I did the UN-thinkable today. I made dentist appointments for the whole family. We haven't seen a dentist in a long, long time. Not that we haven't planned to make appointments. It's just that yours truly is the All-Time Dental Chair Chicken Champion of the world. (What? You didn't know there was a competition?) Making the appointment was a big step in my recovery process.

I have had the mysterious "white coat syndrome" since I was a little girl. Doctors, dentists, chiropractors, butchers (okay, maybe not butchers) make me nervous. My blood pressure skyrockets during mere contemplation of visiting one of the aforementioned professionals. Why? Don't ask. I have no idea, other than that I know it costs a lot of money and I don't like being poked and prodded.

So, there you have it. In a short four weeks, I will be the first family victim, I mean, patient, at our new dentist. You can pray for me!



"Oh, HERE's the problem!"

Investment Opportunities

For all of you with any money left, be aware of the next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some BIG bucks.Watch for these consolidations in 2008:

1. Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace Co. Will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.

2. Polygram Records, Warner Bros., and Zesta Crackers join forces and become: Poly-Warner Cracker.

3. 3M will merge with Goodyear and and become: MMMGood.

4. Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and become: ZipAudiDoDa.

5. FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become: FedUP.

6. Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become: Fairwell Honeychild.

And finally:

7. Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become: Poupon Pants.