What if...............

There is a commercial on television where the word 'life' is part of a product name and as part of the advertisement, they highlight the word 'if' within the word 'life'. Very clever, and very true. Life  holds a series of 'ifs' for us and it is up to us to do what we will when confronted with those 'ifs'. How many times have you heard someone say...”what if I don't pass the test” or “what if I am late to the appointment.”

What if people said... “may I, please, and thank you?” Would it be a kinder world? Would people be more polite toward each other? Would there be less violence. Interesting to think about!

Baseball caps have become part of a wardrobe and a culture. But what if... a young man took off his cap upon entering a room or restaurant. What would happen if the young man removed his cap upon meeting someone new. Would that person thing more highly of the young man?

What if...politicians kept the promises they made during the campaign and worked as hard after the election as they did to get themselves elected. Now I know promises are hard to keep  and as a result, some might decide to make fewer promises or at least make ones they know they can keep.

What if, on a given day, no one used a cell phone or a blackberry and just went about life as it used to be. A person was recently interviewed on his way from an eye exam. He was concerned that his sight was failing. He reported that he texts someone about every forty to fifty seconds. No wonder his eyesight is going bad. His texting  may have been preventing him from a daily schedule of personal hygiene as it appeared he needed a shower, a shave, and a comb. Come on, every forty seconds???

What if... everyone stayed within the speed limits on the highways? Would there be fewer accidents and could money be saved with fewer police and lower insurance rates? So what if it took a bit longer to get to where your were going. Leave earlier.

What if... a law were passed to force families  to sit down and have dinner together once a week? Before someone comes unglued with my suggestion of government interference into everyday life, I know the law would never pass. I mean, look at the biker helmet law. And that one is designed to help save lives. Think about the potential positive outcomes of sitting down together as a family or with friends (for those who do not have families). You wouldn't have to text them for at least an hour!

What if... stores were not allowed to be open on Sundays? Is it really necessary to  shop seven days a week? There once was a time when.........I think it was called the 1950's and most of us grew up OK!

And what if, just for a minute each day, we stopped to think about how fortunate we are to be able to live and move about freely, wear what we want, think what we want, eat what we like and read what we enjoy.

Please feel free to send me your “what if”...........

Life begins at 40 and other 'pearls of wisdom' for living....

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Each morning we get up and navigate our way through another day of work or play. But what really drives our actions, those beliefs that serve as our guide post and inspiration? Are they taught to us by our our parents, our religious or spiritual beliefs or are they some common sense set of standards that become part of our every day life?

Each day we are bombarded with 'pearls of wisdom' from those around us, those brief one liners that sometimes brings a smile to our face or a message to the heart. Here are  a few  that you may have heard.

I begin with a Maine  classic. “If it aint't broke, don't fix it!” It is quite apparent that this old adage has been rejected by many who run our government as it appears their primary purpose is to find something to fix, and if they can't, they make something up.

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Well of course it is! If it were not, it would be yesterday. Right?

When my daughters were younger and dating, prior to leaving the house I would warn them “ the night has a thousand eyes.” Very simple. “There could be someone out there who knows who you are.” There were times I knew about things even before they got home.

“It's not over 'til the fat lady sings'. Now I know there is a musical reference here, probably the opera. But I think the meaning  is that it's not over until it's over. Sounds a bit like Yogi Berra, don't you think?

Many people get very upset when they make  mistakes. “Making mistakes can mean that you are learning faster.” The key here, however, is that we learn from  mistakes. The definition of stupidity is said to be “ doing the same thing over and over the same way, hoping for a different result.”

There are several 'pearls' that fall into a common category. “Into one's life some rain must fall.”  Each day does not always begin sunny and warm. Once and a while we may be given  a bowl of lemons. What to do? “Make lemonade!” Life gives us choices and opportunities. We can either choose to act or not.  Remember, however, that by not making a choice, in reality, you are making a choice.... not to choose.

I overheard some recent high school graduates talking. One commented that he wished he could predict the future,  then he would know what courses to take in college. To my surprise, the other responded by saying that the best way the predict the future was to create it!” Wow, I was impressed. Now there was a true young philosopher or maybe he remembered what his mother had told him..

So if life truly begins at 40, were the first 39 years just practice?  Is the beginning of wisdom really 'silence'? Should you listen before you speak? Is it sometimes better to “do nothing''? Is 'true wealth not how much money you have, but how you live your life'?

By stringing some of these pearls together, you can make yourself a very nice necklace and in the process, live a pretty good life.