As a child, I clung to Aesop's Fables and a book of fables from around the world. As a teen, I often turned to the book of Proverbs and collections of poetry to understand the universe I was emerging into as a young adult. I guess you could call me wise, but I believe most people learn wisdom in every experience they have. So today, like many other days, I pondered on the wisdoms I have learned in life. I also asked friends to tell me a lesson they have learned in the course of their lives.
Crappy Lessons:
1. Society continues to place heavy pressures on women to get married. Single women are treated as if they haven't been lucky enough to join the cool girls club. The older a woman gets, the more people will make comments that make her feel like a failure in love. However, men are looked at as successful bachelors who have escaped a beheading.
2. (in other words) Double standards will always exist.
3. Love becomes uneasy when not attended to.
4. People can not read minds.
5. There is little to no way to relive life carefree as a child. Jobs are never fun work and they are made to consume most of the hours you are awake.
6. Bring hand sanitizer everywhere, especially outdoor festivals.
Happy Lessons:
1. It is never too late to go after your dream. You are your only foe and you can choose to conquer yourself easily or stand in your own way.
2. Companionship in love is worth everything. The moments of feeling loved and wanted can be used to conquer any bad day.
3. Pets can fill your life with as much joy as a person.
4. You CAN pick your family. They may not be able to donate a kidney, but some people are meant to be in your life to shape and mold you as a parent, support you like a sibling or lean on you like a child.
5. Money is not happiness. Happiness is happiness and you decide what makes you happy. I personally find the most joy in spending time with others. It can be as free as an email to say hello.
6. Music can take you anywhere. Back in time to fond memories and emotions, into the future to dreams that you'd like to live, to seasons of cold or warmth, or places near and far.
7. Every human is looking to connect with others in some way. The human bond should be explored. Some of the most touching conversations I have are with random strangers.
Life Lessons from Others:
1. "Boobs are tuff."
2. "No matter what happens/happened today, there's always tomorrow."
3. "Rely on yourself and your faith.....nobody else."
4. "That you can get jail time for ripping the label off of a mattress & always wear clean underwear, heaven forbid you should have an accident."
5. "When men say "i was just kidding." They weren't"
6. "The slickest way to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time, and then shut up."
7."I'm on vacation! I do what I want!"
8. "Don't iron clothes while wearing them!"
9. "cows look soft, but they are really really hard"
Wisdom can be born from lessons of pain or lessons of joy. Share your wisdom with other and ask them for their wisdom. You never know what you will wind up learning or the impact your experiences will have on others.
