Fifty

Originally posted Apr. 2018

Turning 50 last year, I spent a little time reflecting on my past, and contemplating what I want to do with my future.  Part of the reflection are these 50 observations, and part of the contemplation is the BLOG you’re viewing now.  Enjoy.

• By the time we learned how to parent kids, they become teens.  By the time we learned how to parent teens, they become young adults.  I’m always 10 years behind.  I wonder if my parents experienced this?

• Tennis shoes should last longer.  

• It takes as much faith to believe in evolution, as it does to believe in God.  

• Everything you own, owns a piece of you.

• Escape your comfort zone.  Your comfort zone is comfortable, but it can become a prison keeping you from a more fulfilling life.

• Do not believe the labels that people and society have placed on you.  Don’t live up to their labels; discover the authentic you, and live up to your authentic self.

• Long-time friends provide a depth of love and acceptance that all people need.  It is a true gift when you can reconnect with an old friend and pick up right where you left off.

• People have a disproportionate level of appreciation when you go out of your way and meet them at their house, their church or their neighborhood.  It honors people to visit their part of the world, or even their cubicle.

• Few people have found their purpose inside their comfort zone.

• There are locked doors of knowledge and experience that can only be opened by the key of travel.

• Well-timed humor is hard to beat.

• Digging is great exercise and very therapeutic.

• People seek the familiar, but there is always something to be gained from the unfamiliar.  

• Fall into a rushing river and you will discover how small and weak you are; its power and force is deceptive.

• Music can energize, comfort, educate, bond and connect us to memories. Having said that, some people are addicted to constant noise. They no longer hear the melody, just the noise.

• Silence can teach us many things, if we are willing to listen.

• Investing in people can lead to failures and disappointments.  It can also be one of the greatest investment choices of your life.

• People should know how to change the oil, how to change a tire, and how to drive a stick shift.  Even if they never do it, they should know how.  

• Learn to manage stress; it can sap the life out of you. Life will naturally bring a certain amount of stress your way, but a lot of stress is unnecessarily self-induced, and therefore avoidable.

• You should accept people, but you don’t have to accept their behaviors.  

• I feel very masculine after disassembling and reassembling a gun.

• Words spoken can be water to a thirsty soul.  Use them wisely, and encourage people frequently.  

• Everyone should be unique in their own way.  

• Momentum shift in a sporting event can either be one of the most amazing and joyous things to watch, or one of the most crushing, life-sucking disappointments ever!

• Confidence in yourself makes every element of life just a little better.  

• Parents can enhance or destroy a child’s self esteem.  High self-esteem can catapult you over life’s tallest obstacles; low self-esteem can cause you to stumble in an empty field.  

• Hard work is it’s own reward, and tends to accomplish many things.

• It’s good to attend funerals periodically, as it reminds us of the brevity of life, the priorities of life (how much of your life gets tossed after you’re gone), and the true worth of our time.  It reminds us of the importance of “how” we live our lives, because some day, people will be talking about “how” we lived.  Is your “how” worth talking about right now?

• At work, Supervisors train, evaluate, reward or correct employees to continuously improve and get better according to written or described standards.  Although no one wants home life to be this structured, sadly, there is almost no oversight guiding you to become a better parent or spouse, and we typically default to what we have experienced, and become self-taught.  Thus, for many people, it can be easier to excel at work, but not at home.  

• Children are indeed a blessing.

• Selfishness has caused more harm in this world than we can possibly measure.

• Under stress, your true personality is revealed.

• Learn to control yourself, or others will.

• We will always have differences. They will get worse if we are dogmatic. They will get better if we can have dialogue, discussion and debate about our differences. We should not fear debating our opinions with those whom we disagree. Open dialogue, while respecting others, should strengthen our opinion, or reveal its weakness.  We should be glad for either result.

• Our taxes should be enough to cover infrastructure, public education, national defense, healthcare and most everything in between. Sadly, most of our taxes are squandered because of incompetence and selfishness.

• Always carry a knife. Or a pair of nail clippers.  

• Visit a third world country.  If you still complain, live in a third world country.  

• It seems as if we are predisposed as a society to talk about all the right priorities, but spend our money on the wrong priorities.

• The list of things you’re willing to die for, should also be the list of things you’re willing to live for.  If they are different, then change your second list.  

• Things you do and don’t do, influence others more than you realize.  Most people never tell you how much you have influenced them.

• If we could see a person’s internal scars the way we see external scars, we would respect people more and treat people better.  Everyone has been through more than we understand.

• It’s true, life really is better UP ON THE ROOF.  

•  Accomplishing hard things propel us to try greater things.

• If you have to make fun of your wife to make a joke, then don’t be funny.  
• Life teaches you many lessons.  Many people fail the test and have to learn the lessons over again.