Monday, November 11, 2013

Lessons Life Taught Me*. Dedicated to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda, and the Bohol-Cebu 7.3 Earthquake



Lesson on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening, Monday through Friday

NOTE: Comments in parenthesis were provided during the lesson presentation and interaction by Abe V Rotor, and Melly C Tenorio, broadcast instructor and host-moderator, respectively. (Acknowledgment: Regina Brett for the lessons, Ted Aljibe for the photos, Wikipedia, Google)

Upper photo: Aerial view of
airport terminal in the city of Tacloban, Leyte; lower photo: destroyed houses in Eastern Samar. Both taken on November 11, 2013 (AFP, Ted Aljibe) Internet 

What are the lessons we derive from our readings, experiences, the Internet, and from other sources of knowledge? And from the aftermath of a tragedy.



1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. (You can't have the best of two worlds.)

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step .(Take time to think, pause before you leap.)

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. (Time can't wait, and life's too short - why waste both in a negative way?)

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. (This is one case of "blood is thicker than water." The essence of the family as unit comes from the adage, "A family sticks through thick and thin."

5. Pay off your credit cards every month. (Use cash, credit is a recourse.)

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. ("Win:Win Principle is key to friendship, so in business.)

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. (Find a shoulder to cry one - but it should be stronger than yours.)

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. ("Angry" here means in the long run being angry at oneself for his shortcomings - and subsequently submitting to God. Being angry is openness to understand the ways of God.)

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. (Be like the Ant in Aesop's fable - not the grasshopper.)

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. (The message however, is the opposite: yes, you can.)

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. (Build a bridge of the past and present with peace, love and hope.)

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. (Actually you are sincere, you mean things with seriousness and concern. Let your children feel your love for them.)

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. (Success has different faces.)

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. (Openness is crucial in a relationship.)

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. (God never sleeps.)

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. (Rest the mind, take time.)

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. (Be positive, remove the negative to enjoy life.)

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. ("Seasoned timber never gives.")

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. (Don't let the child in you grow old, otherwise you lose idealism.)

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. (Everything is good about the person you love.)

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. (Usefulness can't wait. Carpe diem.)

22. Ever prepare, then go with the flow. (Don't just go with the current, study it first.)

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. (When you have to bloom, bloom.)

24. The most important sex organ is the brain. (The brain controls all, including urges.)

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. (Happiness is personal.)

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?' (We think in terms of consequence.)

27. Always choose life. (Life is precious, there's no substitute.)

28. Forgive everyone everything. (You may not forget it though, so faults will not be repeated.)

29. What other people think of you is none of your business. (In the first place, how can you read the mind of people?)

30. Time heals almost everything. (Give time time.)

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. (Everythging changes, except change itself.)

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. (Relax, keep cool, be happy.)

33. Believe in miracles. (And don't look too far to find a miracle. You yourself is a miracle.)

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. (God is a God of kindness; never a God of Vengeance.)

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. (And don't be very strict with accounting.)

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. (That's how precious life is; there's no substitute to living long.)

37. Your children get only one childhood. (Enjoy life with your children; they'll have a world of their own before you know it.)

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. (It's better to have loved and lost, and not to have loved at all.)

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. (If you don't see the sun you don't enjoy life. Outdoor is still the best life.)

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. (All of us have problems, others have bigger ones.)

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. (Envy is ill will.)

42. The best is yet to come. (Tomorrow is a better day)

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. (Stand up to your commitment.)

44. Yield. (Give way. Sometimes you win a battle this way. King Solomon gave way for the ants to pass, before his army did.)

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift." (A gift we never asked, or be asked to repay. It's more than all gifts you have known.) ~

* By Regina Brett
Columnist for The Plain Dealer, a daily newspaper serving Cleveland, Ohio. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary in 2008 and 2009. Wikipedia
Born: May 31, 1956 (age 57)
Education: Kent State University
Nominations: Pulitzer Prize for Commentary

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written." - R Brett

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