Sunday, December 06, 2009

10 More Lessons (whoosh! Almost done!)

  1. You know, life is really, really, really short. It only seems long during the last week of classes.
  2. Don't sweat the small stuff.
  3. The small things are really important. This may seem to contradict #2, but what I mean is, just loving the feeling of your son's head gently resting on your arm: important. Getting mad at same son because his room is dirty or because he spilled water all over the floor: not important.
  4. Some things CAN wait until tomorrow: grading papers, cleaning the bathroom, oh, other things.
  5. Take time to run in the snow. Or hang out and drink coffee. Or sing really loud in your car. I mean, if you like it, do it. If you don't like it, you may still have to do it, because chances are it's your job.
  6. Remember that no ONE thing is your life. Your life isn't your job or your relationships or where you live or what you do, but an amazing combination of all these things. So if one thing changes, you can handle it.
  7. You should do situps. You really should.
  8. Give and receive compliments. When someone compliments you, smile and say thank you. Surprisingly, this is often harder than giving compliments.
  9. Stress relief is not optional. Find the thing that relieves the pressure and then make that thing a priority: running, Crossfit, writing, alone time. This is a necessity. It's right behind breathing and drinking water.
  10. It's all about the people. At the end of the day, you can replace anything you bought, you can buy a new one, you can find a different meal/book/entertainment option. But without your peeps, friends, family, community, who cares? It's all about the people. I'm blessed to have such good ones. Thanks!

6 comments:

Nik said...

Running in the snow is (was) my favorite time to run. The nice thing about snow in the west is there's so not too much ice. In GR, I would run through the neighborhood college campus and, four 5 months out of the year, it was like skating. I achieved very good balance but ran slower than I even usually do.

ErinAlice said...

I love the lists. Only 11 more items left. Love the food list too!! Happy Almost Bday.

Steve Fellner said...

Hi,

Thanks for posting #6. I always forget that, and needed to hear it today.

Lisa B. said...

I live by that "some things CAN wait" idea. It's a little alarming how long most things can wait.

But you are right about how your life is not just one thing. That's so important to remember.

Counterintuitive said...

what you say about small stuff/things is right on. being sick over the last few days has forced me to slow down which has allowed me to really appreciate some seemingly insignificant stuff I generally rush through.

Antistrophe said...

Love #3. So true.