*Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland,
Ohio .*
* To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 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. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for
retirement starting with your first paycheck, 10 % is a good start.*
* 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. 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. 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. 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.*
