What are you waiting for?

Waiting to do somethings, may be putting it off only to one day realize you can't do it anymore. You can't put everything on a bucket list. Some things you have to do while you are still physically able to do them. The older you get the more you realize what you could've, would've, should've done when you were younger. Unfortunately wisdom to know that doesn't come until you are older. If I knew then what I know now I would have everything done that was on my bucket list. You check it off as you go. Then when you are old you will remember everything you did not regret what you didn't do. Remember to take pictures of your adventures. Because after a lifetime of memories you may need a picture to remind you.

Are you waiting for something to fall out of the sky into your lap?

If you want something to happen you have to do something to make it happen. It's not just going to fall in your lap out of the sky. Even something as simple as taking a drink requires you to take a drink. You could die of thirst surrounded by water if you don't take a drink. You will have opportunities throughout your life but will you grab the opportunity when it comes? You will waste your opportunities if you think they won't require a certain amount of work before you can benefit from your opportunity. Opportunities you miss are never lost they are just taken by someone else. Don't wait for the perfect opportunity to come because nothing is perfect. If you have an opportunity to make it work then be willing to do the work it will take.

Knowing what to do doesn't matter if you know you shouldn't do it

You may see someone doing it but that doesn't mean you should do it. What works for someone else might not work for you. You may think that you should do it but if you are honest with yourself you will realize that it isn't something you should do. Sometimes it looks easy but that doesn't mean it will be easy for you. And like they say if it looks too good to be true then it probably isn't true. You may be able to do it differently and still enjoy it. You may have to work harder than others to do it but doing what is right for you is the only way it will work for you. You can't compare yourself to anyone else because we are all different. You may be similar but yet be drastically different. Different strokes for different folks.

One minute can turn into days

Have you ever noticed something out of it's place and instead of putting it where it goes, you say I will get that later? Sometimes you see it from time to time and say oh yeah I meant to put that up, I will later. Before you know it days have passed and it still isn't put up. Finally you say to yourself enough is enough and you take the thirty seconds of time it takes and put it up. You spent a lot of wasted time thinking about putting it up and thinking about all the reasons you couldn't take thirty seconds to do it. If it takes less than five minutes to do it then JUST DO IT so you can JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind and not have to think about it again. Five minutes versus five days of wasting your time. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. The sooner you get it done the sooner you can relax and enjoy the rest of your day and your free to do whatever you want tomorrow.

It could be worse

You may have it rough but there are many people that have it rougher. Your leg might hurt but at least you can walk. Some people can't walk. When you get into an argument with a loved one you have to remember that some people lost their loved one. When your car breaks down and the repairs cost a fortune you are still lucky because some people don't have a car. When your roof leaks it is a problem but some people don't have a home. You may face a serious problem but seriously you are lucky to be alive to deal with it. You may not be able to get everything you want but as long as you get what you need you should be thankful. You may think the grass is greener on the other side but you can't see that it is green weeds. Making the most of what you have is the only way you will ever be happy with what you have. You can't be happy in the skin you are in unless you are happy with what you are doing in the skin you are in. You can see the glass half full and enjoy your half a glass or die of thirst while you complain about where the other half is. It is your choice.

Are you leading or following?

You have a choice whether you are going to lead yourself where you want be or aimlessly follow the wind. A fair weather friend will blow in to enjoy what you have then blow away with the wind when you have nothing left for them to enjoy. It is fun to live life without restrictions but without boundaries to guide you, you will end up lost and alone in Neverland.  The path that is the most worn may not be the best choice. It is worn down because those that went down it realized it was a dead end so they had to turn around and get back on track. The old saying goes "Grow where you are planted." Which means you need to decide where you want to be then get there and plant your feet firmly in the ground.

Some people are just born lucky and some people are not

Have you ever known someone who could step in crap yet come out smelling like a rose? I have known people who didn't do any work yet they always got everything they always needed or wanted. While others worked as hard as they could to barely get by. Unfortunately that is just the way it is. Those that worked hard were proud of all their hard work. Those that just got everything handed to them on a silver platter, still walk around like they did something great. Deep down inside they have to realize that they got it simply by being lucky. So why do they look down on those that work hard as if they were better than them? Money won't make anyone happy but when you don't have any money you are happy to be able to work hard to get what you need. What would the lucky ones do if they suddenly lost all their money?  They would have no idea how to work hard to get what they need. Luck will only get you so far.

Would you rather swim alone in shallow water or swim in a big ocean surrounded by sharks?

You may feel lonely when you are swimming alone but it sure beats swimming in a big ocean surrounded by sharks. The more people you know the more issues you will have to deal with. It is easier to plan around a couple of people's schedules then trying to find a time that works for you and a bunch of people. It's not how many people you know but how well you know those you hang around with. I know the old saying is "The more the merrier" but most of the time, less is more. You enjoy each person for different reasons. Each one of them bring out a different side of you. In a group you feel like Sybil as each side of you tries to come out at the same time.

Wishful thinking keeps you open to believe that wishes can come true

Keeping a positive attitude is the only way to have a positive outcome. Your dreams can't come true if you have no dreams. Nothing is usually guaranteed but I guarantee you that if you never try then you will never do it. Your thoughts will determine your reality. Reliving a painful negative memory over and over again, will hurt you over and over again. You can take the painful experiences from your past and JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind so you don't have to keep reliving it. You may have had no choice when you had to endure the pain but you do have a choice whether you keep reliving it over and over again and let it hurt you again. Peace of mind is just a FLUSH away, so JUST FLUSH IT.

I like it the way it was

Trying to keep up with the times with all the changes is a challenge. Your wisdom on how you did things is of little use now that everything has changed. If you grew up with a computer and all the electronic gadgets then you know how to manage through obstacles. Unfortunately I have to get my grandkids to help me all the time. They just touch buttons and poof it is done. When I try to just touch buttons I loose what I was trying to do and can't figure out how to get back to where I was. It is frustrating. Even my bank charges me five dollars a month to get a written statement of my account. I get financially punished for not wanting to do my banking on line. I just don't trust putting all your personal information on the internet to get stolen by hackers. Almost everything you try to do nowadays you can only do it on line. Even my teenage sons homework and projects have to be done on line. They don't even teach children in school how to write in cursive. What would this world do if they lost their internet connection? Maybe then my wisdom might be helpful.

They notice the differences

The older my grandkids get the more they notice what is going on. And the older they get the older I feel. When they were younger they saw and heard everything but they didn't notice or listen to most of what was going on around them. For instance they didn't notice until they were older that my teenage son found his "Easter Basket" in the living room. Yet the Easter Bunny had always left theirs outside. When they did notice and ask me about it, I tried to think quick on my feet to come up with an answer that wouldn't make them doubt the Easter Bunny. Thank goodness I thought of an answer. I told them that their family was so big and the fact that people sleep downstairs and upstairs, he would wake someone up if he went inside. I got a couple of strange looks from them then they said oh so that is why, and went off to play. The magic and joy of Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny are what makes a childhood special. I know one day they will find out the truth, but for now, I managed to come up with an answer that kept the magic and joy for at least another year. I was thinking about sneaking over early on Easter morning and put random stuff outside to make their parents stop for at least a second and wonder if there really was an Easter Bunny that left it.

Playing teenage games when you are old shouldn't happen

Teenagers can blow in the wind when it comes to loyalty to anyone. I explain to my teenage son that the tough times in highschool for the most part you won't even remember when you are a grown up. But I also explain to him that you will find that there are a few old people who still think like teenagers. The hardest to deal with is bullies and drama seekers who always play the victim. Those types will still be the same even as grown ups. He is lucky he has a few good friends that he will have even after he graduates. I know that as an adult you are lucky to have two or three friends that you can truly count on. But the truth is no one else but you will take care of you so you live your life to make sure you alone can. Friends are nice to keep you from being alone but in all actuality you alone will make sure you do what you need to, so you can stand strong and weather the storms throughout your life. Make your choices throughout your life that you know you can live with. Remember you have to grow where you are planted because you need strong roots to stand strong.

You don't want to make a FOOL of yourself

You don't want to make a foolish mistake not even on April Fool's day. It would be foolish of you to think that you won't pay the consequences for your foolish decisions. My son asked me this morning, when we woke up to no electricity, if I thought someone was playing an April fool's day joke. Obviously turning off the electricity on over a million customers would be foolish because the electricity company would be loosing thousands of dollars. And we all know they value their money too much to do something so foolish. As we drove to school in the rain we saw a rainbow. I guess it wanted to remind us about the fool's gold at the end of the rainbow. Remember you may get fooled once but if you fall for it a second time you are a FOOL. If it sounds too good to be true then don't be foolish and believe it is true. A foolish decision will have real consequences so decide wisely.