40+1 Life Lessons
Lessons learnt during 1st decade of life:
- When your mom says 'No!', she means it, and you'd better listen if you want to stay alive
- When your dad says 'Ask your mom first', he's also trying to stay alive.
- When a bunch of kids want something, get the cutest/youngest one to ask the adult in charge.
- Eat the whole box of candy and you'll feel sick, but also good and full and like you accomplished something for the day.
- Your friends may have nicer toys, but their parents will never adopt you.
- Report cards of siblings should be shown to parents in sequence--best one first, to lull them into a sense of calm.
- A bad report card should be valiantly and self-righteously defended.
- Bullies are pathetic losers...and should be avoided like the plague.
- In the schoolyard, bossy kids reign. Let them. Do your own thing.
- Parents can always tell if you're lying, but there's no reason not to practise as there are many more gullible people out there.
- When your mom says 'No!', she doesn't have to give you a reason, and you'd better listen if you want a peaceful home-life.
- When your dad says 'Ask your mom first', he's also trying to have a peaceful home-life. Respect his right to do so.
- Teachers can be very sarcastic when you 'forget' your homework.
- Friends may want to copy your homework. If you think it's hard to say no, think how hard it would be to explain to your parents when you're accused of cheating.
- Get involved in extra-curricular activities like sports and drama. You need good excuses...ahem...reasons to help defend unsatisfactory report cards.
- Nobody's staring at you, except the whole class when you're doing 'Show and Tell'.
- Nobody can see that zit except you and your best-friend peering 2 inches from your face.
- Kids who smoke and/or drink and/or do drugs smell bad. The smell can get into your clothes-a sure way for your parents to make your life a living hell.
- Fashion gets dated at the speed of light. Do not allow photos of yourself to be taken straight after that perm, no matter how cool you may think you look.
- The jocks might be popular now, but the nerds will rule the world.
- Your mom doesn't say 'No!' any more, and you wonder what you've done.
- You dad is enjoying a peaceful and quiet empty nest. Respect his right to do so.
- University is much like life-you only get out of it as much as you're willing to put in.
- So you chose the wrong course. Change now before you bulldoze on into the wrong career.
- Making friends used to be a lot simpler. Keep in touch with the old ones.
- There's no law that says you must date/marry at a certain age, but don't keep your heart locked away.
- Relationships should be based on three things: respect, communication, and trust. If s/he's disrespectful or uncommunicative or untrusting/untrustworthy, s/he's not worth your time.
- If you write melancholy love poetry, keep it to yourself. Do not, repeat, do not seek publication. Destroy all evidence as soon as you can, and always when you begin the next relationship.
- Seek gainful employment. Financial independence is your ticket to freedom.
- Guard your reputation. Make sure even your enemies respect you. Never leave a job on bad terms with your boss. It's a small world, and word gets around.
- Trust not the big companies, corporations, and certainly not the government. Say no to the big pharmaceuticals (aka drug pushers) who categorize any and all symptoms as diseases. Practitioners of western medicine depend on a drug-based approach to healing. Seek alternative healing if you value your life.
- Vote, if only for the Green Party. Even if they couldn't possibly win, at least it's a vote against self-serving politicians.
- Your health is your greatest asset. Exercise regularly and read all food labels. Go organic if you can. Processed food has few, if any nutrients, and plenty of unhealthy additives. Our bodies can only deal with so much toxins. Cleanse your way to a healthier body. Disregard the naysayers--they will die first.
- Make sure you exercise regularly, doing something you enjoy with a buddy or a loved one, setting goals and be proud of yourself. Scrapbook it all if you must but do not force your friends to read all about it.
- Marrying late (or for the second time) is a blessing. You've made (and hopefully learned from) most of the relationship mistakes. You treasure each other all the more, for all the loneliness and unhappiness that have gone before.
- Volunteer in your community. Choose something you enjoy. A few hours a week from your busy schedule could mean the world to another human being more needy than yourself.
- No-one chooses to be poor/uneducated/obese/diseased/dependent on drugs. Be compassionate and never presume to judge.
- Be grateful for what you have-spouse/significant other, family, friends, job, career, health, etc. Do not take anyone or anything for granted.
- Keep in touch with your parents/mentors/grandparents/favourite uncles and aunts. They will want to know that you're doing fine.
- We will never know enough to stop learning. Life is the lesson.