November 2nd, 2008Learning for a Lifetime
My friend Paul sent me this tonight. I like it.
A brief summary of a life’s learnings:Age 5: I learned that things are easier when someone is holding your hand.Age 10: I learned to never blow in a cat’s ear.Age 15: I learned that although it’s hard to admit it, I’m secretly glad my parents are strict with me.Age 20: I learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.Age 25: I learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.Age 30: I learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don’t know how to show it.Age 35: I learned that if I want to do something positive for my children, I should work to improve my marriage.Age 40: I learned that the greater people’s sense of guilt, the greater their need to blame others.Age 45: I learned that I can never allow life’s disappointments to steal my enthusiasm.Age 50: I learned that I can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.Age 55: I learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.Age 60: I learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.Age 65: I learned that I shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. I need to be able to throw something back.Age 70: I learned regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terriblyafter they die.Age 75: I learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.Age 80: I learned that even suffering has its gifts.Age 85: I learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.Age 90: I learned that even when I have pains, I can live without being one.
I’m 53 now. I hope I can learn the later lessons.

