Children were asked: “How would you make a marriage work?” Lori (age 8) replied: “If you want to last with your man, you should wear a lot of sexy clothes, especially underwear that are red and maybe have a few diamonds on them.” And Ricky (age 10) stated: “Tell your wife she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.”
Ah, the wisdom of youth.
As an alternative, here is some wisdom that has come with age.
Regina Brett, columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, turned 50 in 2006, and she offered “50 Life Lessons.” [This is the single most popular column ever written by Regina Brett.] Here are some of those lessons.
- Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
- Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
- Make peace with your past so that it won’t screw up the present.
- Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
- If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
- Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don’t worry, God never blinks.
- Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
- The most important sex organ is the brain.
- No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
- Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
- Forgive everyone everything.
- Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
- However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
- Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
- Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it.
- Growing old beats the alternative --- dying young.
- All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
- Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
- No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
- Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
Ah, the wisdom of age........ But as a friend of mine is accustomed to say: "Growing older happens naturally. Growing up is a matter of choice."
[Regina Brett’s book, “God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours,” is scheduled for publication in early 2010.]
