When I first began blogging some 9 years ago now it was because I wanted to put my thoughts down for my children to read. Living as far away from them as I do, I suppose I thought it would be a way of staying connected . . .the end result being . . . they never read it, or if they do, they never say . . . but I keep doing it because it's become so much more than that really. Its an integral part of my day now, and every time I sit in front of this computer to put down my writings . . . it's like I am sitting down with a good friend and just sharing my thoughts. It is something which I would really miss . . . and I like to think of all of you as good friends, and this daily tete a tete of ours is one of my life's treasures.
It's a shame really . . . that you have to become old before you become wise. But that is the way it seems to go. I think it should be the other way around really . . . that you should be born wise and then just get stupider as you grow older. These old ages we are living now? Well . . . they are the results of misspent youths! We are living our consequences!
I was thinking this morning about wisdom . . . and the things I would like to share with my children before I did, if they would listen. This is them.
1. Be kind. It costs nothing and yet brings great benefits. Looking at others and at life with a kind heart may be one of life's greatest blessings. It doesn't have to be grand gestures . . . just small acts. Things like letting the other person go first, or helping pick something up for someone who has dropped it. Picking up the phone just to say hello to someone you haven't spoken to in a while, because their name popped into your head . . . small acts of kindness don't take a lot of effort, and yet . . . they make you feel so good inside. No act of kindness . . . no matter how small, is ever wasted.
2. Love and serve others. Your family, your partner, your friends, your church, your community . . . you can't even begin to truly live your life, until you learn to give it away. It is only in the doing that life becomes worth living. Be loving, understanding, compassionate and forgiving. Love is never lost. It is like a boomerang . . . it always comes back to you. Don't judge others too harshly . . . you cannot begin to understand another until you walk in their shoes. Give them the benefit of the doubt . . . everyone has a bad day once in a while, and tomorrow just might be your turn.
3. Forgive. A person's ability to forgive is in proportion to the greatness of their soul. How can you not forgive others . . . when you are not perfect yourself? Pardon the unpardonable . . . love the unlovable. To be unable to forgive is self destructive. Holding onto hurt, grudges, anger . . . it only hurts you. Healing begins with forgiveness. Those who are at war with others . . . well, they are not at peace with themselves.
4. Be positive. A happy life is not so much determined by what life brings to you as it is by what you bring to life . . . IE. your attitude. It's so much easier and pleasanter if you choose to look at the glass as being half full rather than half empty. Happiness is a choice we make, and we make it every day. We build our lives and carve our destinies minute by minute, hour by hour . . . day by day. Our thoughts are the biggest part of that . . . we can choose to see our lives as an accumulation of trials and tribulations . . . or a collection of treasures. It's all in how we look at things.
5. Don't waste all of your today's waiting for tomorrow to come. Tomorrow never comes . . . our lives are but a series of to-days. You cannot change the past, and tomorrow might never happen, so you best make today the very best that you can. Happiness is here, now and within you. Dot your i's and cross your t's. Do what you can with what you have . . . right where you are.Imagine returning to the misty past from the distant future . . . embrace and savor life now as you would. Stay present.
6. Joy is in the little things. If you cannot be happy here and now, you never will be. Contentment comes from within. Happiness comes from here and now, not a future condition. Enjoy the sun rising. Smell the roses. Bask in the warmth of the sun, or the coolness of the breeze. Enjoy every moment of every day for what it is. A gift from above.
7. What doesn't kill us DOES make us stronger. You will learn lessons, and sometimes the greatest ones come through our mistakes. Lessons will be repeated until we learn and understand them. If you don't learn easy lessons . . . they get harder. Make the most of every failure . . . fall forward. Hard won victories are the sweetest victories of all.
8. When you are nearing the end of your life you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do . . . than by the things you did do. Be brave. Don't be afraid to take risks. Don't let fear of an unknown future, rob you of your todays. Don't ever let fear of failure hold you back from trying. If you fall down, get back up again. Failure is only failure, if we fail to learn from it. By risking nothing . . . we risk even more.
9. Love yourself. How can you ever expect anyone to love you if you don't love yourself??
"The only devils in the world are those running in our own hearts. That is where the battle should be fought." ~Mahatma Ghandi
10. There is a God, and He cares. He loves you so much that you name is inscribed in the palms of his hands and every hair on your head is numbered. You matter to him . . . and you matter to me.
There is so much more that I would love to tell them . . . I guess I just never quite run out of things to share, to say . . . maybe that's why they don't pay attention! Hmmm . . . there may be some truth in that!
Here's a little something that I put together yesterday afternoon. It's a recipe for Gingerbread Pancakes. Someone asked me for one and so I thought it would be so much more interesting to give it to them this way, and it was a lot of fun to do.
We are off into town today. I have some more cards done to take in to the Gallery and who knows, we may treat ourselves to some fish and chips while we are in there. Or maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime I better go get dressed! I can't go in my jim jams!
Happy Day All!!
I'm cooking cheese and potatoes over in The English Kitchen today, and there are two Giveaways to get in on . . . one for a Chocolate Making Day Class which is for people here in the UK and America, and the other one for a Cooler Bag of Boursin Cheese, for the UK'ers.
You've got to be in it to win it!
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