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Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of 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 rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

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. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
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 pay check.
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. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
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 but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone and everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
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. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Nice list Jodi. I guess I liked #21 most of all.
I would add.....
46. Develop your Body with Exercise and Diet, then flaunt it
wherever you go....even alone at home.
47. Be as Sexy as possible.

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

HA!!!!!! They got purple ALL wrong, but otherwise I agree with the premise of #23. But t's little kids who love purple, not old people. They're thinking of that icky shade of mauve that older ladies sometimes seem to like.

Sharrhan:


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Jodi,

Being an upper Midwesterner, #40 really appeals to me. Thanks for posting this!

kwan,

Yesterday on the rerurn from last fall of the Canadian afternoon chat show, "Steven and Chris," they hosted Janice Lindsay, author of "All About Color."
She mentioned how studies show that children retain the innate love of color that all primates possess; they gravitate toward very bright things and intuitively combine things an adult would never think of. They are fearless with the big box of crayons, in other words. She added, as we get older we lose our boldness with color, and it's not certain why. It was really intriguing. I think Jodi's list, with a few omissions of adult-centric points, fits most kids naturally, come to think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2009 03:26PM by Tamukha.

1 3 33 45

those were my faves

thanks for posting

luved it

mucho mucho!