I'm a worrywart, and it helps if I keep reminding myself of lessons people I love have taught me. In fact, everything I know about life, I learned, not in kindergarten, but from family and friends.
1. From my oldest daughter, I learned that kids give parents a thousand chances to get it right.
2. From my middle daughter, I learned that if you put everything away before you go to bed, your room will be neat in the morning.
3. From my youngest daughter, I learned that it's fun just reading a book sitting next to someone you really like.
4. From my mom, I learned that true generosity means giving without expecting anything in return. She also taught me that mothers are wiser than you can imagine. They see things that are invisible, so you should always listen to your mother.
5. From my dad, I learned that you can love your sons-in-law and daughters-in-law as much as your own children.
6. From my aunt, I learned that when your kids move away you should get a bigger house, so there's plenty of room for everyone to come back and visit.
7. From my uncle, I learned that you can make each person feel special by noticing what is unique about her or him.
8. From my ex, I learned that taking care of your parents as they age sets an example for how your children will take care of you during your own December years.
I have also learned from friends:
9. I learned that fairness is sharing a bagel by cutting it on the diameter, so both people get the same amount of seeds.
10. I learned that when people get old, it's not what they have failed at that they regret but what they never tried.
11. I learned that vacations are more fun when you work in between them.
12. I learned that if you don't carry a wallet, you'll never lose your wallet.
13. I learned that when people are facing death, they begin to live more for what they care about and less for what others think.
14. I learned that I should eat more pink donuts and that they taste better when you give someone else the big half.
15. I learned that you can scribble your entire will on a single sheet of yellow paper.
16. I learned that the beauty of something hand-crafted is in its imperfections.
17. I learned that all the cliches about impossible dreams coming true, are true.
18. I learned that, according to feng shui pinciples, it's a good idea to set up your doorways from room to room in a way that evil spirits will have a hard time floating from one area to the next.
Read about my feng shui dilemma in my regular column on Home Goes Strong and about all the things that worry me on my blog Confessions of a Worrywart.
I'd love to hear from you. What life lessons have you learned? Let me know by posting a comment below.