Life Lessons

Life Lessons from my Mother

(and I learned most of them the hard way)

By Brianne Davis

1. Life is short, and as far as we know, we are only here once so make the most of it. If there is something you want to do, you better do it now because you don't know when your time will be up.

2. You can't please everyone, so don't drive yourself crazy trying. 

3. If she says you deserve better, you probably do.

4. You can't really spoil babies. They are meant to be held, cuddled, kissed, cooed at and fussed over. They don't stay babies for very long, so enjoy it while it lasts.

5. Never get behind the wheel of a car when you are angry.

6. ENJOY your children.

7. If your job (or anything else for that matter) doesn't make you happy, find something that does. Life is too short to be miserable. (See #1)

8. "It's not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing." My mother didn't exactly walk around quoting Mother Theresa, but she did carry out this particular adage in her daily life.

9. If you are going to do something, don't do it half a**. 

10. Farm work is some of the hardest work there is. If you can last a summer working in a corn field, you can do just about anything.

11. God made you beautiful just the way you are, so stop comparing yourself to others. If he made everybody the same, the world would be a pretty boring place.

12. It isn't healthy to keep all your anger bottled up inside of you. You need to talk about it, and even yell once in a while.

13. You only get one body, so don't trash it. Eat as much healthy, nutritious food as you can and get plenty of exercise.

14. Be a good friend.

15. Help others when you can.

16. Take vacations. Even if you don't think you can afford them. They are a great way to relax, bond with your family, discover new things, and make wonderful memories. 

17. Read. A lot.

18. Don't be afraid to tell your children "No." Teach them to respect authority. One of your jobs as a parent is to help them become respectable and functional members of society. You can be their friend when you are done raising them.

19. If you get a bad hair cut, or you decide against your better judgement and get a perm, or the color is not what you had discussed with they stylist, or it falls out due to chemo treatments, don't stress out about it. It is just hair and it will grow back.

20. Remember your manners. "Please" and "Thank you" go a long way.

21. Don't be afraid to get messy. We are all washable.

22. Try new things often. You may not like them, but you aren't going to know unless you try.

24. Just because you aren't in church, doesn't mean you aren't worshiping the Lord. 

25. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

26. There is a lot of bad in this world, but there is a lot of good in it too. Try to be part of the good.

27. Make sure the people you love, know that you love them. Tell them often.

28. Dance.

29. If you are going through hell, just keep going. There is always someone else out there who has it worse than you do.

30. Marry a man who irons.

31. The shoes really do make the outfit.

32. It's not actually broken, until duct tape can't fix it.

33. What is life without a little dark chocolate?