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."

One of my life's principles is this... "if you'll never try you'll never know..."

Read this...

          One day, a king placed a boulder on the middle of the road. He then hid a pouch behind the bounder, and waited in the bushes to see what will people do.
          Many noble men, knights, priests, and soldiers saw the boulder and complained why it was blocking the path. That was all they did—complained, complained, and complained some more.
          But later in the afternoon, a farmer walked on the road, saw the boulder, put down his stuff—and pushed it out of the way. When he did that, he saw the king’s purse underneath. He opened it and found it filled with the purest gold, including a note from the king. It said, “This is your reward. Because behind every boulder on the road of life is pure gold.” 

Sometimes people's way of thinking affects us. Here's a story depicting one, and I tell you, stay away from these people...

A story is told of an avid duck hunter who was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his discovery, the man wondered how he would break the news to his hunting friends, one of whom happens to be perennial pessimist. The hunter decided to invite him to go along with him to see the phenomenon for himself. The two hunters made their way to the field the next morning and waited. When a team of ducks flew nearby, they shouldered their guns and fired. The dog responded by running across the water and retrieving the bird. The hunter’s friend remained silent. He didn’t say a word about his amazing dog. On the drive home, the hunter asked his friend, “Did you notice anything unusual about my dog?” “I sure did,” responded the friend. “The problem with your dog is that he can’t swim, can he?”

Seeing things that others can is a gift....a gift everybody can have.

It was a hot, sunny day and a man was lounging at the hotel pool. Clad in bright orange swimsuit and sleek wrap-around sunglasses, the man casually sipped a frozen drink. Soon a woman lay down on the chair to the right of him and commented, “What a drag. There are clouds in the sky and one of them is going to cover the sun. It’s even getting cloudy.”

The man in the glasses replied, “No, it’s a wonderful day. Can’t you see the birds chirping in the trees? Can’t you see that the clouds and breeze will cool down the blistering heat?” In a moment, it started to sprinkle. The woman complained, “What did I tell you? This rain ruin’s everything.”

The man in the sunglasses said, “No it doesn’t. Can’t you see that the magnificent, fragrant flowers blossoming all around us and the freshly cut grass need the rain?”

Soon a couple pulled up chairs and sat down to the left of him. “You idiot. I can’t believe you locked the key in the room,” the man yelled at his wife. “Yeah, but you big imbecile, you forgot to bring the suntan lotion, “ she replied.

The man in the sunglasses interrupted, “Can’t you see there is another key at the front desk and probably lots of lotion in the gift shop? Can’t you see that fighting over shallow things is a waste of precious life? Don’t waster your vacation by whining over trivial matters.”

The mother sitting two seats away asked her son if he would please pick up a heavy box and take it to the car. He complained, “Oh, Mom, my back hurts, I’m tired, and ouch! I just got something in my eye!”

The man in the glasses turned to the lad. “ Can’t you see there are people in this world who would give anything just to be able to bend over and lift something?”

Just then a woman, came from behind the wall with a wheelchair. She helped hoist the paralyzed, blind man into the seat, rearranged his sunglasses, and carefully wheeled him out the gate and extended his telescopic white cane so that he could tap his way back to the positive environment of his hotel room.

Some people can see things others can’t. But actually, its just a matter of perspective.