Things I Have Come to Know

Birthdays have not had any major impact on me over the years; 30, 40 and then 50 came along and they were just another number. However, this one coming up seems to weigh a bit on my mind. In a very few days it will be 59 and for some reason I am not liking this one very much. Such an arbitrary number which should not provoke these unsettled feelings in my soul.

I have spent much time looking within to figure out why this one should be any different than the others. Perhaps it is the reality of how many years have passed and realizing how fast time slips by. Although no "aha" moments have transpired, I have figured out some things I have come to know after all these years:

• First, and foremost, family is the most important thing in life.
• We must take time every day to be thankful for the good things in our life.
• To feel good about yourself you need to do for others.
• You can't find your happiness from someone else, it comes from within.
• Laugh as much, and as often as you can.
• Read, read, read and keep learning new things.
• They are not wrinkles that need to be erased - they are life lines to cherish from living.
• Find time to be still and take in the beauty and sounds of Mother Nature.
• Most of life is routine with fun and joy sprinkled in along the way.
• Don't waste a moment of life in anger - let it go so it will not consume you.
• Remember that difficult times hit us all - in time they will also leave.
• Try not to judge too harshly - we never know what is happening in another persons life.

..........and last (but not least) on the humorous side:

• We all look better fully clothed as we get older.

May you all enjoy your birthdays no matter where you are in life.