These range from whimsical to serious, from shallow to deep. They consist of little tricks for easier living to how to think about things and treat our fellow humans. They are in no particular order, because every lesson counts. Also, this page is a work in progress, I add thoughts as they come and will update or correct info as needed, so check back often!
TRUTH. People see their own truths. I have read the bible through a few times and I have taught bible studies, which helped me to learn more. I also attended a Baptist seminary for a few years. However, I am no expert. Why? Because every time I open the book I learn something new. In the seminary my professor tried to explain why we still must obey some parts of the bible, while others can be done away with. For instance, eating shellfish or wearing two materials at once. This is not a moral law, so it’s ok to disobey. But some parts of the bible are harder to interpret, such as can a divorced person be a pastor? Or can women serve in leadership, and if so, how? This is where people make up their own rules to fit their own beliefs. I have learned (the hard way) that trying to debate with people or convince them away from their own ideas of what scripture tells them will not work if you disagree. So, it’s easy to say “his side vs. my side,” (and this is true for politics too). And then to go into an “us vs. them” camp. However, this doesn’t solve anything. We just have to remember to love each other.
SIMPLICITY. Do you wear socks? If so, laundry can be a real pain. Or at least it was for me. When I wore socks to work, I thought they all had to be black or navy. Talk about a pain trying to match them. This made laundry so much harder! And blue looked a lot like navy in my laundry room, and sometimes I didn’t notice the difference until I got to work and looked at them under the bright florescent lights, where I realized that I had again gone to work with mismatched socks. Then I got smart. I bought socks with patterns. No more hardships when it comes to matching. Now I have ducks for Easter, Kitties for Christmas, shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day and spooky Kitties for Halloween. Going through my sock drawer in the morning is a great way to start the day with a smile.
WISDOM. Read. I will tell you a secret. I stopped going to school when I was 13 years old. I went on an off for a few more years, but didn’t pay attention and got incompletes. But I always read books. My dad would bring books home from his talk shows that I would swipe from him, or I would take books from his book case. When books were offered for sale in school I would order a stack now knowing that they cost money. I guess my parents paid when they were billed. I remember friends putting me down because I didn’t know anything or pronounce things correctly. So I decided to study harder. Eventually I got a GED and went to college. Then I got 2 more Master’s degrees. And I did ok, because I learned so much by reading. Reading didn’t only help me get smarter; it didn’t only get me through college; it didn’t only widen my horizons and take me around the world. It most importantly taught me empathy. It taught me to see how others may feel, and to feel for them even if I didn’t understand those feelings in myself.
FINANCE. Pennies count. Most of the people I know who have money problems use the phrase “it’s only…” when spending money. They want name brands, and may say “it’s only $2 more.” I’m not going to say I never splurge, but when I do, I say “this is $3, will I enjoy this for $3?” And saving pennies does matter. Whenever I got a reimbursement for expenses for a small amount, I stashed it into savings. Tax refunds went into savings. Any money that is extra always goes into savings. When I spend cash, I save my coins in a piggy bank and when it’s full and I take it to the bank to deposit into savings, I’m always surprised that it’s $80-$90. This happened because I saved a few coins when I spent cash.