New Year's Wisdom From An Ancient One (That's me according to my kids)

I just celebrated my (mumble, mumble) birthday.  No one needs to know exactly how old, right?  If my daughter were here, she would squeal and make sure the whole world knew exactly how ancient I am.  See, that's the thing.  Every year, I grow a little older, but in my head, I still feel like that twenty-year-old college student.  It's the sore muscles and achy joints that tell me differently.  The defining moment of knowing the full extent of my age was when I came into my living room  to see one of my daughter's examining a VCR cassette.  I asked what she was doing to which she replied, "I'm trying to find the directions."  So being the good mom that I am, I chose to take a seat and watch the show.  I watched her trying to shove the cassette into the VCR/DVD combo.  Eventually, she gained success and that's when the fun really started.  She stood in front of the television and asked why it wasn't doing anything.  I had to explain that in the time of the dinosaurs, one had to push rewind to make the tape go to the beginning.  Then one had to push the sideways triangle to make it play.  That made me think what else are my children missing in this technologically advanced age in which we live.  Party lines?  Anyone remember those?  You could be in the middle of a conversation about acid washed jeans when suddenly that elderly woman down the street would start dialing.  You could yell, "I'm on the phone", but alas, it didn't matter.  What about boom boxes?  Some may know them by ghetto blasters or jam boxes.  They were big and silver, and if you were special, they had dual cassette tapes.  No one looked as cool as the guy with a massive stereo system propped on his shoulder while he moon-walked.  Members Only jackets, Z Cavaricci jeans, and (my favorite) MC Hammer pants were what every teen coveted.  What was with all the zippers on everything?  I decided that it might make my little, old aging self feel better if I allowed my kids to experience the "good old days", so off we went to a flea market.  I searched the shelves over until I came across a time capsule jackpot- a rotary phone!  When I asked my son to dial my phone number, well, you can tell by his face that he had no clue.  My daughter stepped in to show him how it was done.  Wrong!!!  I told her she might have managed to call China.  I imparted my wisdom to the young ones in which they responded, "that is so stupid".  That's is when I had my wise moment.  When we are young, people try to guide us in which way to go, what not to do, and how to live.  But do we always receive what they are trying to give us?  Absolutely not!  An elderly woman told me when I was twenty-two not to lift such heavy things because my back would hurt when I was older.  I thought, "Thanks, but that won't happen to me."  Guess what?  That woman was wise.  So I would like to impart some New Year's wisdom.  You can chose to take it or leave it, but here it is nonetheless.  Ways to find contentment in life.  1. Exercise, even if it is just walking slowly.  You may have to make yourself, but once you start, the stress starts to diminish, and you feel better when you are done.  2. Drink a lot of water.  Your body is made up mostly of water.  When you are dehydrated (which most people are) you can't think as clearly, and your body cannot work as well as it should.  3. Don't go to bed angry.  My husband and I have had many late nights (early morning) chats, but we work things out.  When we keep our anger in, it becomes like a nasty weed.  It's roots grow until it is smothering all the good in the marriage.  Which leads to the next one.  4.  Let things go.  I had to ask myself, "Why do I always have to be right, even when I know that in being right, I am hurting someone badly?"  This moment came to me when my husband and I were in an intense argument.  It had started because we were discussing who listens less.  Ironic, isn't it?  Neither one of us were listening.  Do you want to be debate champion or have healthy and happy relationships?  Then learn to forgive and let go, even when you might be right.  5.  This one is the most important.  Build a relationship with God.  If you don't have a healthy relationship with God, life can be very lonely and stressful.  When we understand we are God's children and He loves us more than anything, we begin to understand that we matter in this world.  We are valuable and important.  We also begin to realize that no matter what we go through, He would never leave us or reject us.  That means that I can take my stress to Him.  I can talk to Him at anytime, day or night, and know that He has my back.  So this New Year, instead of making a lot of resolutions, make a relationship with God that won't disappear by February.  Have a great New Year's high-heeled warriors!