In my longish life (and hoping there’s more),
the lessons are many, coming quickly to mind
with an eagerness to share my “vast wisdom”.
But remembering how I ignored
similar ones years ago,
this is perhaps more of an “I wish I had” list.
Not to say I haven’t had a full 7 decades
or that my life is overwhelmed with regrets
because I have and it isn’t.
Time waits for no man; time passes like the wind.
If only I had truly recognized the velocity of the wind,
imagined hurricanes rather than gentle breezes,
perhaps I would have made some changes?
I wouldn’t have sweated the small stuff…
recognizing their smallness for what it was.
“Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?”
I would have chosen the second option more often.
Hug more, criticize less, be relaxed and calm
so you don’t shout over spilled milk and other accidents,
less harshness, give up the need to control.
Adult children remember the good, the bad, and the ugly;
create more good memories with your words and actions.
Recognize the futility of attempts to control everything
and everyone- impossible and mentally unhealthy.
Don’t evaluate everything only on monetary value;
much too often my default response was
“we can’t afford that” when we probably could;
I wish I had said it less and explained more.
Books are a treasure, money spent on them is never wasted;
share the joy of reading with every child you know
because it is the key to success in school and life.
“The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.”
Look for the weary, those needing a listening ear;
share yourself, your time, and attention,
because the blessings go in both directions.
Discover your gifts and talents early, and
find ways and places to share them.
Seek help to manage anxiety and worry
before it manages you; it only gets worse.
Travel, experience new places, food, cultures,
move outside of the familiar, your comfort zone-
be a lifelong learner.
Fiercely and generously love and treasure
your spouse, your children, especially
your grandchildren who will benefit
from all the parenting lessons you learned.
Personal lessons learned over the years,
good for my reflection, but probably not
valuable for anyone else because,
as Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"Life is a succession of lessons
which must be lived to be understood."
— cmshingle
the lessons are many, coming quickly to mind
with an eagerness to share my “vast wisdom”.
But remembering how I ignored
similar ones years ago,
this is perhaps more of an “I wish I had” list.
Not to say I haven’t had a full 7 decades
or that my life is overwhelmed with regrets
because I have and it isn’t.
Time waits for no man; time passes like the wind.
If only I had truly recognized the velocity of the wind,
imagined hurricanes rather than gentle breezes,
perhaps I would have made some changes?
I wouldn’t have sweated the small stuff…
recognizing their smallness for what it was.
“Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?”
I would have chosen the second option more often.
Hug more, criticize less, be relaxed and calm
so you don’t shout over spilled milk and other accidents,
less harshness, give up the need to control.
Adult children remember the good, the bad, and the ugly;
create more good memories with your words and actions.
Recognize the futility of attempts to control everything
and everyone- impossible and mentally unhealthy.
Don’t evaluate everything only on monetary value;
much too often my default response was
“we can’t afford that” when we probably could;
I wish I had said it less and explained more.
Books are a treasure, money spent on them is never wasted;
share the joy of reading with every child you know
because it is the key to success in school and life.
“The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.”
Look for the weary, those needing a listening ear;
share yourself, your time, and attention,
because the blessings go in both directions.
Discover your gifts and talents early, and
find ways and places to share them.
Seek help to manage anxiety and worry
before it manages you; it only gets worse.
Travel, experience new places, food, cultures,
move outside of the familiar, your comfort zone-
be a lifelong learner.
Fiercely and generously love and treasure
your spouse, your children, especially
your grandchildren who will benefit
from all the parenting lessons you learned.
Personal lessons learned over the years,
good for my reflection, but probably not
valuable for anyone else because,
as Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"Life is a succession of lessons
which must be lived to be understood."
— cmshingle
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