I recently happened upon some parting thoughts by Donna Ashworth whom I do not know, but I related to many of her observations on a life well lived and it prompted me to consider a few of my own:
We are born three times: the day of our first breath, the day we figure out why we were born and the day our spirit is homeward bound on our last breath.
Growing old gracefully is the best revenge. We know it’s inevitable so why try to live against the wind? Everyone dies, but not everyone lives to the fullest. Embrace life as the adventure that awaits us with every day’s challenges and joys. Wouldn’t the world be so much brighter if we took the time to see a person’s soul and not their outward appearance?
Don’t burn daylight being concerned about other people’s opinion of you because they are quite probably more self-centered and less confident--and it was never about you anyway. If you can’t be kind, learn to be quiet.
Only one man ever walked this planet in perfection. He spent three years of intense teaching to show us how to live to strive for such an unreachable goal and left us with the beautiful concept of grace. If someone cuts you off in traffic, let them go and cool your jets. You never know what they are dealing with at the time and it’s probably best not to get in the middle of it.
Chasing happiness is elusive, as its reward is obtained from external stimuli like buying stuff and the effect wears off the second the price tags are removed. But joy can be found internally, without the need for things of this world.
Many folks only see and comment on what others do wrong. Surprise people by catching them doing something right and acknowledging it! A simple handwritten “Thank You” note works wonders because so few people do it.
Just about anything we do in excess as we traverse this life is damaging. Anything in moderation is preferable. Replace stress and worry with joy and peace. Many things in life are out of our control except one thing—our response. Leave the rest to our Heavenly Father and try again in the morning.
We’re a curious human species. We see in life what we look for in life. If we look for negatives, we’ll find them and the same is true for positives. A headline reading “dog bites man” won’t get our attention, but “man bites dog” will always do the trick. “If it bleeds, it leads” is a mantra that has stood the test of time.
Always drink the good wine and use the good dishes. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Live a life that plans for the future, learns from the past, and fully embraces the present, for that is all we’re guaranteed and where life is played out. Try to leave your sphere of influence a little better than you found it and encourage others to help heal the brokenness. One simple act of kindness trumps a thousand platitudes.
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