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 is 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. 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.. Take a deep breath. It
calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that
isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many
ways.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you
really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to be
happy. But it’s all 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
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. 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 of 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.
Accept what you already have, not what 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."
