As you likely saw on social media or in my Wimbledon post, my family was here last month including my maternal grandmother, Memé. She is a fire cracker in just about every way and is is very OTB (on-the-ball). I could go on and on but one of the key ways you can see this is with the way she embraces technology- she had an iPhone and a MacBook air when I still had a Razr flip phone and a clunky Dell computer. And with her love of tech she often passes along chain emails filled with beautiful photographs and heart-wrenching stories. These emails are such a nice change from the others that fill my inbox ranging from spam, emails trying to sell me things, or notifications from shops, financial institutions, or NYC events which I should really unsubscribe to.
But now the to the title of this post, Building the Ark. One of these emails my grandmother passed along a few years ago I still have flagged in my inbox and come back every now and then when I need a good reminder. I know my grandmother did not write this list but when I opened the email in 2013 I thought that all of these are things she would say followed by her infectious laugh and today I could not agree more. Here are the 10 life lessons:
ONE: Don’t miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark .
FOUR: Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you’re stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
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Lucy says
This is such great advice, your grandmother is so wise!
Gentry says
The best advice ! Love that your grandmother passed this on to you 🙂
PAULINE SHEA says
My biggest advice would be “Don’t sweat the small stuff and it is mostly all “SMALL STUFF”. Live life to the fullnest, be kind to people, help them out when you can and smile a ton. It doesn’t cost a thing and most people will smile back to you.
Tons of Love, Meme
Rosalie says
A good list to live by.
Liza says
I like the stress one the best. Sometimes I take myself too seriously and get too stressed about work or a family thing that I have no control of. Next time that happens I am going to envision myself floating on a lake or in the ocean and let the current take me away for a while and just breathe and calm down.
Rebecca says
A list to live by.
Great advice and now I will try to take in a couple of those.