Life Lessons From An "Old Man"

I turned 59 yesterday and was reminded once again that time marches on. Could I use this occasion to share an article I wrote shortly before a significant birthday back in 1998? Thanks!

"I appreciated the surprise 50th birthday party last night. It was so nice of you to remind me that this coming Friday I will have spent one-half of a century in this world. The many cards and gifts--both gag and good--touched my heart. Thanks. For what it is worth, I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned along the way. After all, at fifty I am old enough to be a member of the AARP and would be considered a sage in some circles!

I have learned that people are wonderful if you think they are. Wherever I have been, folks have risen to reach my expectations of them. A long time ago I began believing in people and I have never been sorry that I did. Not everyone rises to the challenge, but the vast majority do.

I have learned that if you put peanut butter and jelly on a piece of bread and accidentally drop it on the floor, it always lands jelly-side down. Always.

I have learned that if I have something bad or negative to say to someone, it is better for me to keep it to myself and not say it or write it. Once spoken or written, a word has a life of its own. You can't recall it or negate it regardless of how hard you try.

I have learned that kids are the most honest people in the world. If a five year-old tells you that you are ugly, you probably are.

I have learned to practice grace with others. Since I am well aware of the grace that God has extended to me, I don't demand perfection from my peers. If someone stumbles and falls in my presence, I try to offer them my hand and not my boot. Eventually I know that I will need them to do the same for me.

I have learned that the speed of the cars in front of you on a busy highway is directly proportional to the amount of time you have to get to your destination. If you are in a hurry, they crawl. If you are on vacation and driving leisurely, they are all behind you playing Mario Andretti and laying on the horn.

I have learned that God can be trusted. His timetable is not mine and His ways I don 't always understand, but in the final analysis, He has never failed me. I can utterly and totally depend on Him.

I have learned that self-adhesives will stick to absolutely anything--except their intended surface.

I have learned that in life you generally get what you pay for. Invest in quality with your time and money and it will come back to you. Buy cheap or cheat on your investment of time and energy and the end result will reflect your attitude.

I have learned never to trust a golfer who pauses at the green and tries to recount his strokes for the hole.

I have learned that the first prayer I was introduced to as a child was also probably the most accurate. It began, 'God is great; God is good ...' And He is!"

-----Phil LeMaster