I have no idea if this really is a photo of the claimed author of this wisdom or even if there is a such a person as Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio but I hope there is and I hope she won’t mind me reproducing this onto my blog, perhaps simply because I want to put it somewhere I know I can find it again. (See added postscript at bottom of blog)
I think these 42 pithy proverbs are brilliant and I have taken the liberty of putting those I particularly like in bold.
But has she missed anything out? I have added no 43 which is a slight amendment on her no 26.
Here is what has been doing the rounds on Facebook:
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 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’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. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry
12. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it…
14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
15. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
16. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
17. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
25. Always choose life.
26. Forgive but don’t forget.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does..
31. Believe in miracles.
32. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
33. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
34. Your children get only one childhood.
35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need.
39. The best is yet to come…
40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
41. Yield.
42. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”
And I would add 43. In any situation, forgiveness matters more than anything else: receive it, give it.
What would you add?
PS Since posting this up I have found out there is indeed a Regina Brett, she is not however over 90, she is 56 and prize winning columnist. You can read here what she has written about how her life lessons have taken off across the Internet World.
http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2009/06/lifes_lessons_speed_up_on_inte.html
Why is this good news? Firstly, because clearly you don’t need to wait to be 90 to be wise and, secondly, because with 5 ways to ‘share’ her column on her blog, I think one can safely assume she is happy to have her words reproduced as they are correctly attributed.
Live Life Loved 
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