In sorting all my files yesterday, I discovered some worth printing for my paper files. I have been debating with myself about sharing one of them. I found it on a Facebook post from one of my cousins. My notes say I discovered it on the 2nd of February this year.
It turns out the writing is still posted, and some of the details are different from my Facebook copy. Mine says the author (same name and paper) turned 90 -- I didn't think she would still be alive. When I found the writing online, it stated the author was turning 50, that the original publication was in 2006, and that it was updated in 2008.
My version only has 42 statements... I have to compare the two lists to find out which ones are missing from my version. Because of the differences, I decided to share the entire online version here. I have linked it to the page I discovered in a search process at my title (Lessons From Life), and provided the entire web address under the author's name. I will make the ones I like best in BOLD text.
LESSONS FROM LIFE
Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
By Regina Brett, The Plain Dealer on May 28, 2006 at 10:13 AM, updated April 03, 2008 at 10:17 AM
http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2006/05/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html, 27 AUG 2015
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 - 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.
==========
As a senior now, age and wisdom are becoming a topic I think about a lot more than I did when I was young. I have decided that wisdom is selective... we know what we have lived, but not what others have learned through their own life experience. That is why GOD tells us to turn around and help those that suffer what we have suffered and recovered from.
It is hard to see people doing things you know are going to lead to problems, and hard to say anything to them.
I tried to find that quote about asking a teen while they know everything, but couldn't locate it with a simple (fast) search. I wanted to share it with the comment that it often seems like we are all still that teenager.
I have been trying to gather my days and get some of this wisdom I want to pass on into a book form, something I should have tried to do when I was much younger. Life would have been different... I wonder how much our lives would be changed if I had succeeded earlier in my life.
We never know the impact of our everyday interactions. Sometimes we meet someone in a passing moment and what happens affects the rest of our lives. It is a wonder. It is how the work of GOD happens.
I hope you print this post and share it with others you know who are rising in years. Maybe they can add to it.
That would be a great online effort... find a way that everyone can add their statement about life... one statement per person... maybe a Twitter page would work... 140 character would make us all condense our life into one short statement. A decent person would have to moderate the entries because too many people like to share things we don't really want to know, or read, or be forced to remember.
Enjoy your weekend... remember GOD and thank Him for all the goodness in your life.
Wednesday, 26 AUG 2015 :: Guns are a tool of protection
27 AUG 2015 -- I was reading this again in the morning and it was so badly written in parts, I decided to do some small acts of editing. :-) I hope this won't be a problem for anyone.
==========
I think this may be my worst blog so far, it's already 11:15pm and I have been sorting the files on this laptop for hours and hours and hours... transferring them to a flash drive as a separate file. I am amazed at how long that takes! It looks like I had almost 4GB of data... I hope this will help me organize my projects and let me create a better filing system for the days to come.
I watched the news while I was working on my filing project... the one story that really affected me was the man who went back to his old employment after more than a year to kill people... and eventually killed himself. It seems he was suffering inside himself for many years. It makes me wonder what caused him to think killing innocent people was the solution to his pain.
We rarely think about the motives behind crimes, about why the crime became the only solution to their problem -- in their mind. From what I heard, he had a rental car ready and almost made an escape. When he was being captured, he shot himself. This has prevented us from finding out the answers we need. Even though I have heard there was a long letter posted about his reasons, we can only guess about what really happened.
I also noted that the media is promoting this event as another reason for gun control. This seems to be a broken record. I keep wondering why it is so important to them to take away all guns, which creates a bigger black market than the one that already exists. If we take away all the guns from all the people, except the military and police [and the bad guys], individual citizens are left helpless and become easy victims to those who don't obey the law, or engage in other forms of coercion. It isn't a good idea. As corruption increases because there are no moral foundations in our country (world), even the protective authorities will become criminals.
I don't own a gun, but I would if I had the money, the time to learn how to properly use it/them, and knew how to keep it safe from unwanted uses but ready for emergencies. To have a ranch or farm, which I have always wanted to do, you need to have guns for protection, for hunting, for processing some animals as a food supply. I don't think guns are the problem, it's the people who hold them. Knowing how to use them, and the damage they do, might change the amount of destruction they create. To some they seem a toy, to others a tool to gain power, and others just want to instill fear to manipulate. People commit crimes with guns and often never meant to... the situation they were in escalated and fears rose up and pulled the trigger.
Guns are a tool. They are an object. They don't commit the crime, the one that is holding the gun causes the crime. Cars are a tool, and they kill people because of negligence, bad mechanics, and bad choices by the driver. We don't take away all the cars in the world because they cause deaths that are just as tragic as the ones caused by guns.
I do believe that the Secret Service, or other bodyguards, carry weapons to protect people who don't carry them. We arm our police because we want them to be able to protect us from those who want to harm others (purposely or by accident). Guns have a purpose, and we need them.
I am sorry this senseless killing has become the media topic for today... I am sorry the dead were so young, about to be married, heading toward bigger careers... I am sorry there is nothing that could be done to prevent it from happening... I am sorry the man who held the gun thought striking back at innocent people was the only way to deal with his problems.
I feel a long tirade about the media coming on, so I am going to say one more thing and post this, barely in time, I think. Before I heard about the deaths, I was wondering about our news sources already. I realized we hadn't heard anything new about the rivers polluted by mine waste for awhile. It made me see again how we only know what the media chooses to highlight... we see something for a few days, maybe a week if it is a really big story, then it disappears and we go on to the next tragic headline. I don't think this is a good thing.
I have been loving my increasing times of silence... and getting use to not being bombarded nearly 24 hours a day by all the horrors of our world. I want to know what is happening, but how much do I need to know?
What really matters to the survival of our lives, nation, earth? It seems to me the things that are crucial seem to become trivial events.
==========
I think this may be my worst blog so far, it's already 11:15pm and I have been sorting the files on this laptop for hours and hours and hours... transferring them to a flash drive as a separate file. I am amazed at how long that takes! It looks like I had almost 4GB of data... I hope this will help me organize my projects and let me create a better filing system for the days to come.
I watched the news while I was working on my filing project... the one story that really affected me was the man who went back to his old employment after more than a year to kill people... and eventually killed himself. It seems he was suffering inside himself for many years. It makes me wonder what caused him to think killing innocent people was the solution to his pain.
We rarely think about the motives behind crimes, about why the crime became the only solution to their problem -- in their mind. From what I heard, he had a rental car ready and almost made an escape. When he was being captured, he shot himself. This has prevented us from finding out the answers we need. Even though I have heard there was a long letter posted about his reasons, we can only guess about what really happened.
I also noted that the media is promoting this event as another reason for gun control. This seems to be a broken record. I keep wondering why it is so important to them to take away all guns, which creates a bigger black market than the one that already exists. If we take away all the guns from all the people, except the military and police [and the bad guys], individual citizens are left helpless and become easy victims to those who don't obey the law, or engage in other forms of coercion. It isn't a good idea. As corruption increases because there are no moral foundations in our country (world), even the protective authorities will become criminals.
I don't own a gun, but I would if I had the money, the time to learn how to properly use it/them, and knew how to keep it safe from unwanted uses but ready for emergencies. To have a ranch or farm, which I have always wanted to do, you need to have guns for protection, for hunting, for processing some animals as a food supply. I don't think guns are the problem, it's the people who hold them. Knowing how to use them, and the damage they do, might change the amount of destruction they create. To some they seem a toy, to others a tool to gain power, and others just want to instill fear to manipulate. People commit crimes with guns and often never meant to... the situation they were in escalated and fears rose up and pulled the trigger.
Guns are a tool. They are an object. They don't commit the crime, the one that is holding the gun causes the crime. Cars are a tool, and they kill people because of negligence, bad mechanics, and bad choices by the driver. We don't take away all the cars in the world because they cause deaths that are just as tragic as the ones caused by guns.
I do believe that the Secret Service, or other bodyguards, carry weapons to protect people who don't carry them. We arm our police because we want them to be able to protect us from those who want to harm others (purposely or by accident). Guns have a purpose, and we need them.
What we have to do is find a way to grow people that don't want to kill, maim, and destroy for personal reasons.
I am sorry this senseless killing has become the media topic for today... I am sorry the dead were so young, about to be married, heading toward bigger careers... I am sorry there is nothing that could be done to prevent it from happening... I am sorry the man who held the gun thought striking back at innocent people was the only way to deal with his problems.
I feel a long tirade about the media coming on, so I am going to say one more thing and post this, barely in time, I think. Before I heard about the deaths, I was wondering about our news sources already. I realized we hadn't heard anything new about the rivers polluted by mine waste for awhile. It made me see again how we only know what the media chooses to highlight... we see something for a few days, maybe a week if it is a really big story, then it disappears and we go on to the next tragic headline. I don't think this is a good thing.
I have been loving my increasing times of silence... and getting use to not being bombarded nearly 24 hours a day by all the horrors of our world. I want to know what is happening, but how much do I need to know?
What really matters to the survival of our lives, nation, earth? It seems to me the things that are crucial seem to become trivial events.
Tuesday, 25 AUG 2015 :: Getting serious about blogging
What is serious blogging? I'm not really sure. I have been exploring blogs in a new way, looking for the answer, ever since I started to write them. I look at the topics, the length, the content, the links, the number of writers, the photos, and whatever else is noticeable... including advertising and the ability to print.
It seems that advertising becomes the main income source for blogs. At least, that's my impression. I'm not too fond of advertising that doesn't have a direct connection with the topic it's associated with, or that digresses into smut. It is a rude shock to link to a page on crafting and find photos of practically nude men or women, or profanity as normal and acceptable language.
This separation of value systems will lead to some kind of separation of access in the internet. How, when, I don't know. I know I already am pulling away from many of the media choices we have to choose from. Moral boundaries are very important to many, even though it is popular to degrade them. Finding some way to separate from the objectionable parts of internet life may become our only option for avoiding the conflicts and terrorism we are enduring now.
Back to advertising :: Since I have been going to Facebook, I have had the unfortunate experience of following article links to sites that are so overwhelmed with ads that have to load onto the page constantly, you can't reach the information you went to the site for. Their ads may make money for the blog site, but I'm not sure why anyone would want to fight their way through the process. I have been creating a long list of links I never want to visit again.
Even so, these browsing experiences are helping me move toward the kind of blogs I want to create for Working Together and myself. The internet is how we get a lot of our information now, and may become the only way in the future.
Printing is another important blog element for me. When I can't stay to read, or want to remember the information I find, I try to print the blog or page for reading later. Finding the little print icon can be a major challenge. Lots of times there aren't any.
One of the most important lessons I learned as I browsed sites was how many webpages don't have a reference to their web address in the printable text of their blog page. I have printed many blog articles for reading later and then discovered I don't have a way to find the site again without a lot of time and trouble. It has caused me to look for the best way to include all the necessary information in the text of a page.
It is a challenge to learn all these things, but it is important.
It seems that advertising becomes the main income source for blogs. At least, that's my impression. I'm not too fond of advertising that doesn't have a direct connection with the topic it's associated with, or that digresses into smut. It is a rude shock to link to a page on crafting and find photos of practically nude men or women, or profanity as normal and acceptable language.
This separation of value systems will lead to some kind of separation of access in the internet. How, when, I don't know. I know I already am pulling away from many of the media choices we have to choose from. Moral boundaries are very important to many, even though it is popular to degrade them. Finding some way to separate from the objectionable parts of internet life may become our only option for avoiding the conflicts and terrorism we are enduring now.
Back to advertising :: Since I have been going to Facebook, I have had the unfortunate experience of following article links to sites that are so overwhelmed with ads that have to load onto the page constantly, you can't reach the information you went to the site for. Their ads may make money for the blog site, but I'm not sure why anyone would want to fight their way through the process. I have been creating a long list of links I never want to visit again.
Even so, these browsing experiences are helping me move toward the kind of blogs I want to create for Working Together and myself. The internet is how we get a lot of our information now, and may become the only way in the future.
Printing is another important blog element for me. When I can't stay to read, or want to remember the information I find, I try to print the blog or page for reading later. Finding the little print icon can be a major challenge. Lots of times there aren't any.
One of the most important lessons I learned as I browsed sites was how many webpages don't have a reference to their web address in the printable text of their blog page. I have printed many blog articles for reading later and then discovered I don't have a way to find the site again without a lot of time and trouble. It has caused me to look for the best way to include all the necessary information in the text of a page.
It is a challenge to learn all these things, but it is important.
Monday, 24 AUG 2015 :: Internet control of our lives
I think they call it "flexibility" -- having to reorganize your plans when something doesn't work out. Sudden illness over the weekend, and no Etsy connections all day today... I think they qualify.
I'm not sure what happened with the Etsy connection, but I am guessing it has something to do with the Etsy website being down. I tried to find some other source of information about the website, but didn't find any. I really didn't know what to do to find out if a website is down, but I was at Twitter, so I searched for #etsy to see what would happen. I discovered lot of other links, but nothing about the problem I was having connecting to my Etsy shop.
It isn't a problem I can fix, so I am waiting for now.
In-between my Etsy connection efforts, I went through my other online activities... checking emails, linking to other places, reading, saving, printing... listening to the news about the stock market falling.
While I was browsing, I rediscovered http://handmadeology.com -- a blog site that is dedicated to handmade crafts... like Etsy sellers, but probably crafters from any site. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to explore their topic headings. I went to several photography posts, and then to some on selling tips. My first visit was to a post about Etsy stocks. I finished my time there on a blog about holiday selling hints. Guest bloggers are also linked to the site.
When I was new to Etsy, handmadeology was a newish site. I went there looking for information to help me understand selling at a site like Etsy. It has changed quite a bit since that day, and looks like it has organized and expanded. It is worth a check.
It is 10:30 pm PST now, and I am still not able to get into the etsy.com website. I hope this changes by tomorrow. It is a difficult problem to have.
I am not fully recovered from whatever was wrong with me over the weekend, so this will be a short entry.
The goal of separating my personal activities from the everyday needs of Working Together continues. I have been trying to work out problems with my mailing address and to find a permanent office for Working Together, and praying for GOD's best answer to my living situation.
In GOD's time all things are provided.
Waiting is hard, but it always has a purpose in His Plans.
See you tomorrow, GOD willing. :-)
I'm not sure what happened with the Etsy connection, but I am guessing it has something to do with the Etsy website being down. I tried to find some other source of information about the website, but didn't find any. I really didn't know what to do to find out if a website is down, but I was at Twitter, so I searched for #etsy to see what would happen. I discovered lot of other links, but nothing about the problem I was having connecting to my Etsy shop.
It isn't a problem I can fix, so I am waiting for now.
In-between my Etsy connection efforts, I went through my other online activities... checking emails, linking to other places, reading, saving, printing... listening to the news about the stock market falling.
While I was browsing, I rediscovered http://handmadeology.com -- a blog site that is dedicated to handmade crafts... like Etsy sellers, but probably crafters from any site. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to explore their topic headings. I went to several photography posts, and then to some on selling tips. My first visit was to a post about Etsy stocks. I finished my time there on a blog about holiday selling hints. Guest bloggers are also linked to the site.
When I was new to Etsy, handmadeology was a newish site. I went there looking for information to help me understand selling at a site like Etsy. It has changed quite a bit since that day, and looks like it has organized and expanded. It is worth a check.
It is 10:30 pm PST now, and I am still not able to get into the etsy.com website. I hope this changes by tomorrow. It is a difficult problem to have.
I am not fully recovered from whatever was wrong with me over the weekend, so this will be a short entry.
The goal of separating my personal activities from the everyday needs of Working Together continues. I have been trying to work out problems with my mailing address and to find a permanent office for Working Together, and praying for GOD's best answer to my living situation.
In GOD's time all things are provided.
Waiting is hard, but it always has a purpose in His Plans.
See you tomorrow, GOD willing. :-)
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