Life Lessons

Read about this column written by Regina Brett, a 90-year-old resident of Cleveland, Ohio the other day on another blog. In her column, Regina recounts 45 of the most important life lessons. I think they are all worth my attention, and I hope I can learn them for own life and for the sake of those around me!

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 to waste time hating anyone.

4.     Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5.     Pay off your credit cards every month.

6.     You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

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. 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, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is 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 everyone everything.

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 — 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. You already have all 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.

What are some life lessons you would add to this list?

Dinner at the Mesa Grill

Saturday night I was able to get my work finished a little early, so I made plans to go to dinner with Rachel.  Rachel called me and told me she had a special place she wanted to take me.  We headed downtown and went to dinner at Bobby Flay's famous Mesa Grill on 5th Ave.  We started off with crispy squash blossoms filled with ricotta and corn with a sweet yellow pepper sauce.  Rachel and I chose to accompany this appetizer with margaritas.  Rachel ordered a cactus pear margarita and I went with a white peach.  Delicious!

For dinner Rachel ordered a mango-spice rubbed tuna and I went with crispy 16 spice duck breast.  Of course these delicious main courses came with sides: pine nut couscous, goat cheese and chorizo tamale, oh and I'll never forget the Roast Corn with Smoked chilies, cojita cheese and lime!  Dessert was equally as amazing...  A Chocolate Cornbread Pudding with a Tres Leches sauce.  I tell you the truth when I say that this was a feast that was incredible!

What could top such a delectable dinning experience?  Hello, I was hanging out with one of my best friends RACHEL!  Our dinner was very good, but far better was the time I got to spend with my dear friend.  Rachel I know you'll be reading this so I take the time to thank you here for a great evening, but an even better twelve years of friendship and hopefully many, many, more to come!

Video Blog = Vlog

Each Day

Today I came across the blog of an artist named Ben Sollee.  He is a young cellist who is doing something really unique... instead of doing a super fast tour through cities that you don't ever get the taste of,  he and two of his friends are actually biking through the appalachians doing tours in several small towns while also promoting the work against poverty that Oxfam has been doing.  What's sweet about this idea is how much is happening, there's the fact that they are riding bicycles through the entire tour (over 330 miles) which is a 100% green mode of transportation.  As they are traveling through this method they end up spending time the towns they go to enjoying the people they meet, making friends a long the way and really experiencing some amazing opportunities along the way.  And then there's the promotion of Oxfam.  

Quite honestly I am captured by what the these three people are doing.  It's really simple idea, but also incredibly wonderful.  Here's this group of people who are living out loud their passions.  I am touched by it, and I am sure I'm not the only one.  Their example reminds me that each day we have the opportunity to have an effect on the world around us.  And you will, you will have an effect whether you want to or not.  The question is will you enliven that choice or choose by default.  I want to be a person who intentionally chooses... chooses to live, love, and learn.  To have a positive effect upon the world I get to live in and empowers others to do the same.  What effect will you have today?  

Check out an excerpt from Ben's Blog  "Pedaling Against Poverty"  below.  I have posted a link to his blog in the side bar under blogs I follow.  They've got some great videos that they're posting, and I haven't even begun to talk about what a fantastic musician he is!

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to give a quick introduction to this blog. Here you can find daily video logs on my bicycle-driven tour to Bonnaroo 2009. I want get away from the conventional high-speed methods of touring and really take the time to embrace each town. I hope to be more a part of the community that has invited me to share my music with them.  My cello, equipment, and merchandise will be strapped to an Xtracycle extended-frame bicycle (www.xtracycle.com) and I'll be spreading the word about the amazing things that Oxfam America (www.oxfamamerica.org) is doing to help alleviate societal and economic hardships both abroad and here at home.

I'm kicking off the tour in Frankfort, KY and then zig zagging through Appalachia for some performances at Bonnaroo. We're putting 330 miles under our wheels! If you're in the region, I'd love to have you come bike along with me and my friends Katie and Marty Benson, who are documenting, the tour. You don't have to ride the whole thing, even a mile would be fun. To get up-to-date information about our location and traveling progress, head over to Twitter and follow @bensollee.