The best 45 lessons real life has to give...ever! Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and  parents will. Stay in touch

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no
 idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it.

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

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But
 the second one is  up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in
 life, don't take no for  an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the
fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear
 purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.                           

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because
 of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

In life jewels may not be that important after all.

One day, two very proud Egyptian Jewelers were on the street, debating who had the biggest, most beautiful diamonds. 

“I’ve got the biggest diamonds!” shouted one man. The other said, “Well, I’ve got the most beautiful diamonds!” Their voices were loud and angry, just like Congressmen in the Philippines.

A third man approached them and smiled, “My name is Ibrahim Matta Zakariya Yunus Al-Yasa Efraim Dawud bin Tariq bin Khalid Al-Fulan.”

“What?” the two Jewelers asked.

“Just call me Ib for short. I’m also a Jeweler. May I tell you a story?” Before they could answer, Ib continued, “One day, I was going to another city to sell my diamonds. And I had to cross a large dessert. But that day, a fierce sandstorm came out of nowhere. It was the biggest and fiercest sandstorms I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. And I lost my way in the desert. After many days wandering, I was dying of starvation…”

“Oh no…” said the Jewelers, “What did you do?” The two men had totally forgotten their argument and were now totally mesmerized by Ib’s story. (That is why I propose that when Congressmen are debating uselessly, they should show Korean and Mexican Telenovelas during their sessions. There will be less fights.)

“I sat on the sands, giving up all hope,” Ib said, “but mindlessly, I went through my bags for the hundredth time. Lo and behold, I saw a hidden pocket I didn’t see before. I opened it and saw a black pouch! Oh, you can imagine how excited I was. Perhaps it was food, I told myself. And so with trembling fingers, I opened it…”

“Was it food?” one Jeweler asked.

“Water perhaps?” the other one said.

“Neither. With great dismay and utter frustration, I saw that the pouch was filled with nothing else but diamonds. It was just diamonds!”

From Bo Sanchez's Blog