9/28/2017 Paula's ProverbsI am not a wisdom figure, except to fifth graders. Most of the members of my religious community are older than I. At 72, I imagine I am considered a youngish whippersnapper. When there aren’t enough chairs, I’m still the one who sits on the floor. I don’t presume to know what you should know. But I know some things now that I wish I had known a lot sooner.
Bad times don’t last. Things get better. Good times don’t last. Enjoy now. Nobody is judging you; most of the time, no one knows or cares what you are doing. A smile goes a long way. Laughter goes even further. Try things. It’s okay to fail. It’s not okay to wonder whether you would have been good or enjoyed at the things you were afraid to try. Most of the people you will meet are nice people. Everyone has value. Everyone is a possible saint, until proven otherwise. (Maybe not even then.) If you try your very best to please people, some people will like you and some people won’t. If you throw caution to the winds and live your life, some people will like you and some people won’t. Likewise, I read somewhere that if a person likes you, you can drop a plate of spaghetti into his/her lap and the accident will be laughed off. If the person doesn’t like you, he/she will be annoyed by the way you hold your fork. I notice this in myself, and am reminded that the dislike I have for another person says a lot about myself. Solve the problem. Don’t complain; solve the problem. (Did you ever notice that gripers are almost always sitting down?) Hot air is useful only in the balloon business. You can learn something from everyone. I am reminded of that every time I come to the Brunner Literacy Center. We tutors can focus on the difficulties and on what we can teach. Sometimes, the most important thing is what we can learn.
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