In my first blog post, I alluded to some of the freakier parts of reaching mid-life. This time, I thought I’d examine the lessons learned so far.
Friends make the world truly enjoyable. When you are 12 and trying to fit into any kind of social structure, you don’t deliberately pick your friends. By the time you reach mid-life, you choose very carefully based not only on mutual interests, but on values, philosophy and if you’re like me, whether you can share a laugh with someone. You’ve also met a vast number of folks and by now, you should know the kind of person you like and the kind you abhor. I’m very lucky to have met some wonderfully interesting people and spend time with many who share my values. Life in this arena is rich indeed.
Caring what other people think of you is a waste of time. THIS one took some doing, but I’ve finally taken a cue from my dearly departed Mother who seemed to have been born with this genetic code. Like me? Don’t like me? Believe that I’m doing the right thing or not…I really don’t care. By now, having gained a wide breadth of experience, I’m pretty confident in my choices. If I end up making the wrong choice, then I can cope with that too. God knows, it’s happened before and I’m still here.
Money is less important than you think and more of it won’t necessarily make you happier. That doesn’t stop us from wanting it though….especially in a society where money is greatest benchmark of all. When Paul McCartney’s late wife Linda was dying of breast cancer, Paul, one of the richest men in the world, couldn’t save her. He could throw millions around for the best doctors, the latest treatments and still, he couldn’t save the love of his life. Frankly, he hasn’t seemed very happy since. That’s when I realized that money won’t bring us happiness, love or anything terribly real. It will bring you a nice house with lots of things inside, but if the love of your life isn’t in the house with you, how happy are you?
With every birthday, you get another opportunity to make your life better; whatever that means to you …better job, better relationships, better health. Those who check out early don’t get the chance. Seize the day.
Resourcefulness is a dying art. If you’ve made it to 50, you’ve probably had to be a little bit resourceful. You probably know that duct tape, a can of WD-40 and a piece of string can fix just about anything. If you’re like me, you’ve probably purchased a week’s worth of groceries with $20 or less. You’ve had to do something tricky to make it this far….and you were successful!
Chocolate IS every bit as good as sex. Chocolate won’t tell you that you’ve gained a few pounds, always leaves you satisfied and causes a surge in endorphins. It won’t hog the covers, disagree with you ever or make you cry. It’s cheap, readily available and it tastes divine. Not that one should stop having sex….
A little bit of pampering is good for the soul and money well spent. It will make you look better, more importantly feel better and you’ll probably live longer. Living longer looking good is not bad either.
$5 for a loaf of REAL bread is a bargain. BUT ….only if it’s really, really good. It has to smell like bread…contain nothing more than the usual bread-like ingredients (flour, water…things that I can pronounce)….it should go stale after only a few days and it should mould in a few more. It should be super crusty on the outside and soft, chewy and moist on the inside. And with a little butter added to it, it should elicit a noticeable…ummmmmm from deep inside your soul when you eat it. For that, I am willing to pay big bucks.
What lessons have YOU learned to date?
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