50 Things I learned
For a swap I'm in, I listed 50 things I learned from life:
10 things I learned as a child from 1-10
1. I like making bright swirly colored Easter eggs; I made one that looked like a cowboy wearing a hat, riding his horse through a canyon.
2. I like Little Golden Books, my Mom brought me one every payday.
3. I love Sheriff Scotty and Miss Jeanie on TV, I wonder if they can see me? I have little patience for news casts that my parents seem to like, but Les Paul and Mary Ford are ok.
4. Measles means you have to stay in a dark room, in fact, the whole apartment was dark. I remember a little wind-up tiger kitty with a ball between its front paws that would run circles on the linoleum. I had a brown teddy bear with one ear sewn on backwards, the tan is on the front on one ear, on the back of the other
5. I liked school; I made a free form design, colored it dark and bright and made a needle holder for my Mom. I bought a cigarette case with a lighter on top for my dad, he thought it was great. We would do “duck and cover” drills, and mock evacuations, where parents would line up in cars and we would march out to be taken to the mountains where we would be safe if the air raid sirens were not just a test.
6. The best vacation in the world is to go to Kansas to visit Mom & Dad’s families, Aunts who love you, a cousin your age who raises rabbits and has a dog that does tricks, learning crafts, finding fireflies, watching daddy catching catfish with his nephews, and all the stories and laughter as everyone visits and plays. Coal Oil Lamps, a worn path to the outhouse, mulberry trees, dairy farm, small town life.
7. I learned what cancer was when a family friend got skin cancer. I will never forget that smell, or the sadness of seeing a man slowly disappearing.
8. I learned that if you take a big pillow case for a bag, and run from house to house with your friends, you can get a LOT of candy on Halloween.
9. I learned that the stars actually move across the sky, and I could see the Milky Way from our yard in Denver.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned as teenager -20
1. I learned that the whole world can seem very small and dangerous. In April 1961, I sat in Science class and worried with the other 13 year olds, that the air raid sirens might sound for real. Cuba was far from Denver Colorado, but missiles could fly far very quickly.
2. I learned that I loved Science and learning when I did a Science project “The Effect of Negative Ion’s on Mice” Not enough data for a conclusion, but I gained an understanding of the process.
3. I learned that asking two teachers for advice on wiring a light (for said Science project) would be one method too many. I wired a “DEAD SHORT” as my father put it. Oops!
4. I learned that my father, although patient to a fault and funny and loving, was not a patient driving instructor. “Can’t you SEE where the ruts are? (we were on the ranch road that was 2 deep ruts and I kept hitting first one side and then the other.)
5. I learned that my mother, also patient to a fault and funny and loving, was a very good driving instructor, and the parallel parking she helped teach has won me many tight parking spots.
6. I learned that Denver Public Library could entertain me for hours on end. I went through a “real history” biographies phase that I still remember fondly.
7. In high school drama I learned that people were prejudiced “Really? People don’t like him because of his religion?” (She looked at me like I was raised on the moon) It took a little longer to understand that I was prejudiced. That boy I didn’t like in Jr Hi, well, I didn’t really like any boy who looked like him, and the mean girl in grade school, I thought all girls with her name were little suspect.
8. I learned that the first boy I dated was the only one for me. We married when I was 17 and he was 18 and lived happily ever after. (Well, mostly….there is a learning curve)
9. I learned that no matter how much you want a baby, nothing prepares you for the life changing love you feel when you have your baby.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned from 20-30
1. I learned that even though one baby takes all your time, and love and energy, somehow, you have time, love and energy enough for two.
2. And three.
3. I learned that if the furnace goes out on Christmas Eve, you CAN go home again, at least until the landlord sends someone to fix it. (2 years out of 3 when the babies were under 5).
4. I learned that even if you raise them the same, boys and girls are different. The girls saw doll house couch, he saw a truck that needed only motor sounds to complete the picture.
5. I learned that selling stuff was not for me. I hate trying to get people to buy something. I learned that working in the schools allowed me to bring in income and still be home when my kids were home.
6. I learned that a 6 year old boy will plant carrots and radishes in the shade on the north side of the house, and even though Mom says “It’s too early, and there is too much shade” he’ll be oh so triumphant when he picks his carrots and radishes.
7. I learned that there is nothing as good as putting water on to boil, and going to your back yard to pick and clean the corn, and dropping those ears into the water for 6 min.
8. I learned that my oldest was good at math.
9. I learned that our middle daughter was a voracious reader.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned from 30- 40
1. I learned that the best vacation in the world is 3 weeks on the west coast in a camper with 3 kids and a husband. First Ocean, first sea lions, first Redwoods and on and on.
2. I learned that Mom’s don’t live forever. You can kiss her goodbye for a day, and it can be the last day.
3. I learned that even if you start out not inhaling, you can get hooked on cigarettes.
4. I learned that even if you get bronchitis 4 times in 5 months, you can reclaim your health by stopping smoking.
5. I learned that Dad’s can die of a broken heart. They didn’t call it that, but he was never in the hospital before Mom died.
6. I learned that once the kids are in Jr High and High school, getting a year round job can be a good thing.
7. I learned that the best vacation in the world is a week on Vancouver Island, best of all Buchart Gardens, and tea at the Empress.
8. I learned that even if you can’t see it, your husband’s dream for an old primer gray car can become a beautiful piece of art, after a couple of years of hunting parts and painting a re-finishing.
9. I learned that teaching teens to drive takes all your love and nerve.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned from 40-Now
1. I learned that 25 years seems like a moment, when you celebrate with husband and extended family and friends.
2. I learned that being the mother of the bride is a lot more stressful than being the bride. Whether you are at the wedding or not, the stress comes from the letting go, understanding her vision, not yours, trusting another to be first in line to support and love her. And that if it is what she knows is right, you can help your daughter pack her Volvo to the roof and above, with a little cubby for the dog and cat, and send her off to a new start 1800 miles away.
3. I learned that when your children start to reach the age you were when you lost your parents, you can grieve all over again at the lost years you begin to see and understand in a new way.
4. I learned the unimaginable joy of a grandchild.
5. I learned that drawing something allows you to see and understand it in a whole new way. To really see how the pattern on an animal’s coat or a flower comes together, and enhances or hides it, and how the human face is so beautiful, even more so when there are lines and shadows.
6. I learned that the best vacation in the world is a month long driving trip to Alaska with your husband who will stop and explore quietly while you draw and journal. He’ll encourage you to go back and see something again in different light.
7. I learned that the sound of a calving glacier is sometimes like thunder and sometimes like a rifle shot. That a breaching whale is breath-taking. That a Grizzly bear and her three cubs is a magnet for the whole community in Haines, as she shows the cubs the choice berry bushes and how to fish around the weir where the fish are counted. That seals wait at the mouth of the river for salmon pushed back in the current right into their grasp. Knowing that the wild I saw was only the tip of the wilderness that was out there.
8. I learned the pain of losing a job and the excitement of starting a business, and the relief of letting that business go and finding a job that gave me more time to be me.
9. I learned that the best vacation in the world is a week in Disney world with 8 members of our family. I celebrated my 60th birthday in that magical place, with lunch in “Canada” dinner in “Germany” soaring over California, seeing the flower and garden show and playing in the pool with my grandson.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
Thank-you for the continuing lessons....
10 things I learned as a child from 1-10
1. I like making bright swirly colored Easter eggs; I made one that looked like a cowboy wearing a hat, riding his horse through a canyon.
2. I like Little Golden Books, my Mom brought me one every payday.
3. I love Sheriff Scotty and Miss Jeanie on TV, I wonder if they can see me? I have little patience for news casts that my parents seem to like, but Les Paul and Mary Ford are ok.
4. Measles means you have to stay in a dark room, in fact, the whole apartment was dark. I remember a little wind-up tiger kitty with a ball between its front paws that would run circles on the linoleum. I had a brown teddy bear with one ear sewn on backwards, the tan is on the front on one ear, on the back of the other
5. I liked school; I made a free form design, colored it dark and bright and made a needle holder for my Mom. I bought a cigarette case with a lighter on top for my dad, he thought it was great. We would do “duck and cover” drills, and mock evacuations, where parents would line up in cars and we would march out to be taken to the mountains where we would be safe if the air raid sirens were not just a test.
6. The best vacation in the world is to go to Kansas to visit Mom & Dad’s families, Aunts who love you, a cousin your age who raises rabbits and has a dog that does tricks, learning crafts, finding fireflies, watching daddy catching catfish with his nephews, and all the stories and laughter as everyone visits and plays. Coal Oil Lamps, a worn path to the outhouse, mulberry trees, dairy farm, small town life.
7. I learned what cancer was when a family friend got skin cancer. I will never forget that smell, or the sadness of seeing a man slowly disappearing.
8. I learned that if you take a big pillow case for a bag, and run from house to house with your friends, you can get a LOT of candy on Halloween.
9. I learned that the stars actually move across the sky, and I could see the Milky Way from our yard in Denver.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned as teenager -20
1. I learned that the whole world can seem very small and dangerous. In April 1961, I sat in Science class and worried with the other 13 year olds, that the air raid sirens might sound for real. Cuba was far from Denver Colorado, but missiles could fly far very quickly.
2. I learned that I loved Science and learning when I did a Science project “The Effect of Negative Ion’s on Mice” Not enough data for a conclusion, but I gained an understanding of the process.
3. I learned that asking two teachers for advice on wiring a light (for said Science project) would be one method too many. I wired a “DEAD SHORT” as my father put it. Oops!
4. I learned that my father, although patient to a fault and funny and loving, was not a patient driving instructor. “Can’t you SEE where the ruts are? (we were on the ranch road that was 2 deep ruts and I kept hitting first one side and then the other.)
5. I learned that my mother, also patient to a fault and funny and loving, was a very good driving instructor, and the parallel parking she helped teach has won me many tight parking spots.
6. I learned that Denver Public Library could entertain me for hours on end. I went through a “real history” biographies phase that I still remember fondly.
7. In high school drama I learned that people were prejudiced “Really? People don’t like him because of his religion?” (She looked at me like I was raised on the moon) It took a little longer to understand that I was prejudiced. That boy I didn’t like in Jr Hi, well, I didn’t really like any boy who looked like him, and the mean girl in grade school, I thought all girls with her name were little suspect.
8. I learned that the first boy I dated was the only one for me. We married when I was 17 and he was 18 and lived happily ever after. (Well, mostly….there is a learning curve)
9. I learned that no matter how much you want a baby, nothing prepares you for the life changing love you feel when you have your baby.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned from 20-30
1. I learned that even though one baby takes all your time, and love and energy, somehow, you have time, love and energy enough for two.
2. And three.
3. I learned that if the furnace goes out on Christmas Eve, you CAN go home again, at least until the landlord sends someone to fix it. (2 years out of 3 when the babies were under 5).
4. I learned that even if you raise them the same, boys and girls are different. The girls saw doll house couch, he saw a truck that needed only motor sounds to complete the picture.
5. I learned that selling stuff was not for me. I hate trying to get people to buy something. I learned that working in the schools allowed me to bring in income and still be home when my kids were home.
6. I learned that a 6 year old boy will plant carrots and radishes in the shade on the north side of the house, and even though Mom says “It’s too early, and there is too much shade” he’ll be oh so triumphant when he picks his carrots and radishes.
7. I learned that there is nothing as good as putting water on to boil, and going to your back yard to pick and clean the corn, and dropping those ears into the water for 6 min.
8. I learned that my oldest was good at math.
9. I learned that our middle daughter was a voracious reader.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned from 30- 40
1. I learned that the best vacation in the world is 3 weeks on the west coast in a camper with 3 kids and a husband. First Ocean, first sea lions, first Redwoods and on and on.
2. I learned that Mom’s don’t live forever. You can kiss her goodbye for a day, and it can be the last day.
3. I learned that even if you start out not inhaling, you can get hooked on cigarettes.
4. I learned that even if you get bronchitis 4 times in 5 months, you can reclaim your health by stopping smoking.
5. I learned that Dad’s can die of a broken heart. They didn’t call it that, but he was never in the hospital before Mom died.
6. I learned that once the kids are in Jr High and High school, getting a year round job can be a good thing.
7. I learned that the best vacation in the world is a week on Vancouver Island, best of all Buchart Gardens, and tea at the Empress.
8. I learned that even if you can’t see it, your husband’s dream for an old primer gray car can become a beautiful piece of art, after a couple of years of hunting parts and painting a re-finishing.
9. I learned that teaching teens to drive takes all your love and nerve.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
10 things I learned from 40-Now
1. I learned that 25 years seems like a moment, when you celebrate with husband and extended family and friends.
2. I learned that being the mother of the bride is a lot more stressful than being the bride. Whether you are at the wedding or not, the stress comes from the letting go, understanding her vision, not yours, trusting another to be first in line to support and love her. And that if it is what she knows is right, you can help your daughter pack her Volvo to the roof and above, with a little cubby for the dog and cat, and send her off to a new start 1800 miles away.
3. I learned that when your children start to reach the age you were when you lost your parents, you can grieve all over again at the lost years you begin to see and understand in a new way.
4. I learned the unimaginable joy of a grandchild.
5. I learned that drawing something allows you to see and understand it in a whole new way. To really see how the pattern on an animal’s coat or a flower comes together, and enhances or hides it, and how the human face is so beautiful, even more so when there are lines and shadows.
6. I learned that the best vacation in the world is a month long driving trip to Alaska with your husband who will stop and explore quietly while you draw and journal. He’ll encourage you to go back and see something again in different light.
7. I learned that the sound of a calving glacier is sometimes like thunder and sometimes like a rifle shot. That a breaching whale is breath-taking. That a Grizzly bear and her three cubs is a magnet for the whole community in Haines, as she shows the cubs the choice berry bushes and how to fish around the weir where the fish are counted. That seals wait at the mouth of the river for salmon pushed back in the current right into their grasp. Knowing that the wild I saw was only the tip of the wilderness that was out there.
8. I learned the pain of losing a job and the excitement of starting a business, and the relief of letting that business go and finding a job that gave me more time to be me.
9. I learned that the best vacation in the world is a week in Disney world with 8 members of our family. I celebrated my 60th birthday in that magical place, with lunch in “Canada” dinner in “Germany” soaring over California, seeing the flower and garden show and playing in the pool with my grandson.
10. I learned and knew everyday, that I was loved and treasured by the people around me.
Thank-you for the continuing lessons....