45 LIFE LESSONS LEARNED ......Words to live by....

This is one of those things that came to me via e-mail from a good friend of mine who lives far away. It was a FWD FWD FWD FWD FWD in the subject line so I did not actually open it up to read the message until several weeks later when I was cleaning up old e-mail. But here's what I found after I scrolled down through what seemed like a zillion comments from all FWD FWD FWD FWD FWD's people. Regina Brett from Texas was preparing to celebrate her 90th birthday last August (2012) and she was asked by her family/friends/peers what the most important lessons were that she had learned over the years during her lengthy life. So before I even started reading further, I paused to think about this for a moment. What lessons had I learned thus far in my life? If I were to write them down, what would they be? What would you write? Well, as I'm picking off the obvious ones from the top of my head, I'm counting to myself, there's one, two, three, four, five, six and then it starts getting harder to think of things, well ones that I would consider the "most important" ones. I think the most I could come up at that moment was fifteen possibly twenty. I will say that timing is everything! For the last couple of months, I have been feeling really down about this thing that we really have no way to control and that's the aging process. I don't want to get any older, in fact, I'd like to turn back the clock a few years. Not a whole bunch of years, just a few. It just seems that the older you get, the faster the years fly by. My oldest turned 18 in Feb and will be leaving the nest to go away to college. My baby is definitely no longer my baby and will officially be a teenager in a couple of days. Everyday is a gift people! There are no do-overs or turning back time so make the most of every single one you have left. Enjoy..... The 45 lessons that my life taught me By: Regina Brett, TX 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 – 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."