In a recorded seminar I watched today, the presenter asked:
What are the five best things you’ve learned about life?
Here’s my current list. What’s yours?
1. Be patient during the rough times and grateful for the moments of grace and wonder.
Everything — no matter how horrible, no matter how glorious — changes eventually. Our very lives are defined by our mortal, fleeting natures.
2. Be open to the unexpected and curious about the shifts.
We generally cannot predict how or when our realities will shift. Our anxieties are often based on realities that never come to fruition. Our expectations can be dashed and leave us feeling hopeless.
3. Live a life of agency.
We each are responsible for our own lives. Being patient and being open does not mean being passive. Explore the places of action, boundaries, self-compassion, and self-advocacy.
4. Know that we cannot “save” other people.
We can never *will* someone else to change. They are also responsible for their own lives. Compassion is not the same as control.
5. Living a life of awe, a life of love, is a choice.
And that choice begins with a willingness to surrender. This can be some of the hardest work some of us do. And it is also the most healing. Where we find beauty and love – those are the places where we connect with our own spirit and with the spirits of others.
Hey Rooze –
Beautifully said. My five are probably less serious but hopefully equally helpful to some.
1) Housework never ends
2) Don’t wear heels without a very specific purpose — and not a lot of walking planned.
3) Best not to deprive people of the chance of learning for themselves.
4) When in doubt, take that nap.
5) 100 words a day is a book sooner than you think. Everything more than that is a bonus.
Love this, Phyllis; thank you!
PS: The tone is perfect. 😁