Share your "life lessons" here: the good, bad and the ugly

[Peppermintbach]

Hi everyone,

Please feel free to share your "life lessons" here that you have learnt (or are in the process of learning) along the way 🙂

This is a place for you to share your lessons learnt from times of joy as well as times of loss and pain (and all the other emotions in between).

I hope this thread becomes a place of collective wisdom and learned experience.

May the sharing begin...

Love,

Pepper xo

[Peppermintbach]

Hi again,

I will get the ball rolling.

Here is something that I have personally learnt...it may not apply to everyone else- and that's okay- but here is what I have personally learnt about:

LOVE:

I would like to start with a quote:

You never lose by loving. You only lose by holding back.

- unknown

I think that life can sometimes feel long. But when we think about it, it's pretty short in the grand scheme of things; it's a nanosecond. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

Sometimes the unexpected happens or could happen, and tomorrow is never guaranteed for any one of us (regardless of which end of the age spectrum you're on). There have been times in my life where I have lost people completely unexpectedly and deeply regretted not having expressed my feelings more...so tell your loved ones that you love them, hug your friends more, give compliments, thank people, buy an affordable present or make a present for a loved one "just because"...you might not always get a second chance at "tomorrow."

It's easier to keep your feelings to yourself, let pride take precedence, fear rejection so we sometimes hold back...but as I said, tomorrow is not guaranteed. It's better, in my humble opinion, to risk looking or sounding like a "fool" than to lose an opportunity to tell or show someone that you love them. Tomorrow is not guaranteed...

Also, I think that romantic/intimate love is not the only type of love

So often hollywood sells us the story that romantic/intimate love is the "ultimate" and is what everyone should strive for. But I would suggest while it can be a very important kind of love, it is not the only type of love.

There's also:

- love between parents and children

- love between siblings

- love between friends

- love between humans and non-humans like dogs and horses

- love for your life's passion e.g. people who have dedicated their lives to humanitarian work, etc.

The list is endless and is different for everyone.

While many of us strive for romantic love, and I'm in no way, shape or form knocking that...what I'm trying to say is it's not the only type of love. Sometimes love comes knocking in non-romantic ways. I've learnt that sometimes we don't always get the love we think we want but sometimes we get the love we need.

Pepper xo

[BlueGrass]

Hi Pepper (smile) (trying to figure out how that works)

I could not agree more with everything you have written there.

I read a lot of the quotes, and some videos, that show on facebook (other than that, I really don't like fb) and I find some very challenging, others supportive, some uplifting, some just learning that life is meant to be fun.

I've started to write some down. Some that are challenging me at the moment are :

"If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else" Love Wide Open

"The hardest prison to be trapped in is the fear of what others think" Steve Wentworth

[topsy_]

Good topic Pepper

This one I have learnt through painful experience -

Life is Not Fair

Also for those of us old enough to remember Love Story - L

Love DOES me saying you're sorry.

Lyn

[Quercus]

Hi Pepper,

This is an interesting idea for a thread.

My Grandfather used to tell me...

1. Manners cost you nothing.

2. Never accept a partner being rude or sarcastic to you.

He was right. A simple thank you or please, a smile of welcome or being polite isn't difficult yet in my experience is very rewarding.

And his other advice was solely for me and noone else (sarcasm goes right over my head everyone who knows me thinks its funny) so it was his warning that if a partner was sarcastic to me they were being cruel at my expense and to run for the hills. He was right about this too.

[velvetfaerie]

Hey Pepper,

Great words! I've been speaking to people this week about that stuff. Especially one person. Told them take nothing and no one for granted. Step up and speak up. Express yourself. If you aren't happy with your situation take steps to change it. Do all these things and your self esteem should grow too.,

I'm glad I'm not alone in wanting to "seize the day."

Hope that made sense. It's early and my head is fluffy lol.

velvz.

[Zeal]

Hey everyone,

This is a great idea for a thread!

I have learned over the years that moderation is the key (when it comes to food, lifestyle, work/life balance), and that love and interpersonal bonds are more important than just about anything.

Best wishes,

Zeal

[Peppermintbach]

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your contributions and feedback 🙂 Happy to have you all on board.

BlueGrass- I'm glad my words struck a chord with you and I liked both quotes. The one about peace particularly resonated with me. Thanks so much.

yellownanna- yes, I completely agree with you that saying sorry is important especially if it's to people that you love. I'm not always the best at that so it's something that I need to work on...

Quercus- your grandfather left you some pearls. Yes, I agree that rudeness is uncalled for and can sometimes be quite revealing about a person's temperament.

Velvz- all good, you made perfect sense 🙂 I agree with you that time and the people that we love and care about is indeed precious. It's best to just say it and get it out in the stratosphere; regret is horrible and life is just so unpredictable...

Zeal- thanks and I like your point about moderation. Extremes can push us too far one way or the other. Yes, love isn't always easy to come by so I'm with you that it's to be cherished.

Pepper xo

[Peppermintbach]

Hi,

I felt a sudden urge to share this; it will be my last post of the day.

I was thinking about family and how it's not always (although it can be) about blood.

This quote sums it up:

I don't care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching--they are your family.

- Jim Butcher

So here's to family- blood, adopted, blended, step, foster, with/without children, animals, friends, communities, etc.

Kind thoughts,

Pepper xx

[velvetfaerie]

I love that quote Pepper. 😄

Currently I am learning to not give a stuff about the things I can't change and to concentrate on things I can change. Look after me. Stuff the rest unless dire.

I am exhausted.

V.