A Really Good Chain Email

I usually hate chain emails. You know the kind I am talking about, the subject starts with “Re: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: FW ….” and by the time you scroll down to the content it has been indented so many times you are reading text squished into one-eighth of the left side of the screen. I am very wary of chain emails with attachments and will not download anything, even if my grandma has highly endorses it.   She did send me one last week though that has a few nuggets of wisdom that were too good to pass up. So instead of forwarding this chain email on, I am going to do something a bit more grandiose and share it with all of you here.  And for the people recently who have commented that my original content is slacking, thank you for your *lovely* opinion.  That is all.

This email my grandmother passed along was written by Regina Brett of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. I found the original article here but this email stated that the author is now 90 years old and, “To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written”.  I little bit of research unearthed that the author is actually 54, not 90, but none the less she does have some great pieces of life advice to share. Here is Regina’s list: 

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.  Yes, just yes.

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.  401k contributions since the age of 22!

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. Yes.

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. This one is very hard. 

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. A great reminder for rainy Sundays. 

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.”

I just loved this list, forty-five really great pieces of wisdom. Sure, some are implied or self explanatory but I think we can all use a reminder once in a while.