What are some of the life lessons you've learned?

[Anonymous]

Take good care of your teeth and feet -- you will be needing them later.

[Anonymous]

Acknowledge your mistakes but do not let them define your life.

[Anonymous]

Good work habits are twice, maybe three times more important than inspiration (and often intelligence) in being successful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am female, age 56. The three smartest decisions I have made in my life are:
1. Joining the military.
2. Practicing birth control.
3. Joining Al-Anon.

I suppose each of those warrants an explanation.

Joining the military got me away from my dysfunctional upbringing and took me to a better station in life.

Practicing birth control because otherwise I would be like that 19 kids and counting lady. Birth control was kind of a new thing back when I was growing up in the 60s. There were so many families that had four and five kids whom I attended school with. Birth control has just revolutionized the options for life paths for women. What a great invention!

Al-Anon because of my dysfunctional upbringing. And as a young adult I continued the dysfunctional pattern that was "normal" to me. At age 20 I met this guy with a half gallon decanter of whiskey in his hand. My heart went pit-a-pat. Married him. He is in my living room right now. Eventually life got crazy enough that we both were desperate to learn a better way of living. He has a couple decades of sobriety and is active in AA. I have a couple decades in Al-Anon. We both sponsor people, chair meetings, all that stuff. In Al-Anon I have found the role modeling to learn how to live life better. The "parenting" I always wanted. Its like cheap therapy but I don't have to fill out insurance forms, the hours are more convenient, and I can keep attending meetings for the rest of my life. Which is my plan.

Another plug for Al-Anon. Al-Anon got me through grad school and helped me be honest with my kid about the family propensity for addiction - which proved incredibly important when she inherited it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 40.

You never know what someone else is going through. People can be carrying intense grief and going through terrible tragedies and you'll never see it. Be kind.

The urge to judge and put others down comes from deep insecurities and a need to prove yourself. It is truly liberating to get past that.

Similarly don't feel judged or embarrassed about almost anything; most people are really up in their own head, and really aren't thinking about your situation at all. People who judge have their own demons and aren't worth worrying about.

[Anonymous]

Be courteous to others, and acknowledge others' difficult times, it will come back to you in spades.
Don't overpluck your eyebrows.
Assist your parents as they age, so after they go you won't spend the rest of your life wishing you would have.
Save money even a little bit each month really adds up.

[Anonymous]

Don't ever lend money.

[Anonymous]

Respect is more important than Love.

[Anonymous]

You need to be responsible for two things in life -
- your own happiness
- your own orgasm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to be responsible for two things in life -
- your own happiness
- your own orgasm

Love this! And another thing - don't ever lie about having an orgasm. It's really not worth it. If you're not having it, you're not having it and your partner has to be grown up enough to accept this.

[Anonymous]

Call your parents. Tell them you love them. They won't be there forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to be responsible for two things in life -
- your own happiness
- your own orgasm

Love this! And another thing - don't ever lie about having an orgasm. It's really not worth it. If you're not having it, you're not having it and your partner has to be grown up enough to accept this.

amen. the last guy I dated could not handle this. I am perfectly content. I guess he took it as a reflection on him which I absolutely told him was not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to be responsible for two things in life -
- your own happiness
- your own orgasm

Love this! And another thing - don't ever lie about having an orgasm. It's really not worth it. If you're not having it, you're not having it and your partner has to be grown up enough to accept this.

amen. the last guy I dated could not handle this. I am perfectly content. I guess he took it as a reflection on him which I absolutely told him was not the case.

And there's no reason not to have them, given the amazing toys that exist. Life is too short not to enjoy. I learned that early on.

Something I wish I'd learned earlier, but didn't until I hit menopause and saw my body age overnight, is that if you want to be with me, you've got to take me as I am. My body's given me and others pleasures of all kinds, and given life and sustained life, and it shows. I'll never be young or firm or smooth, but I'm not going to spend my final years feeling bad about that.

[Anonymous]

Don't put off home repairs hoping the problem will go away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have learned that no one has yet to find a cure for death.

or cancer...