don't blow it

"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it." Albert Einstein

I wasn’t sure what to write about this week. It is a year to the day that my Mom passed, and I wasn’t really feeling it.

I then remembered a line my buddy Russ said while we were in Seattle at a glass blowing exhibit. He said maybe you should title one of your blogs, “Don’t blow it”.

That is perfect. Don't blow it.

On our trip we visited this glass blowing company, called Glassybaby. They have made a huge business (and they give a lot of it to charities) making a fairly simple product. Candle holders.

I say simple but it takes a lot of work and they make each one individually. And I must admit they are pretty cool.

Then I thought, how perfect. My Mom lived a simple but full life. She didn’t blow her chance on this earth. She made a big difference in the world by doing small things.

Doing what I do, I get a lot of blogs each day from a ton of people a lot smarter than I am. Many have done tributes to their parents, or loved ones, by writing blogs that start, “what I learned from my …”.

I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to do one like that. But what I have come to realize even more as I have become one of the “older” people out there. Older people have a lot of wisdom.

"Life gets easier when we realize those people tellings us things that start with do this, or please don't do that, are really doing it because they care and they love us."

They have all kinds of experiences and have been thru a lot. When they are telling us something they aren’t lecturing, or giving advice. They are sharing what they learned. And usually learned the hard way. Why not learn easier, from others who learned the harder way.

It’s like when we have little kids. We are always trying to teach them things that will help them advance in life a little faster and easier. It’s because we care. It’s because we love them.

Most people that share their wisdom are the same. They care and love the people they share with. My Mom did that in her own subtle way. I believe that is why she passed above peacefully and not afraid. She knew she lived a full life by making a difference.

Here is what wisdom means to me:

W- wise judgement gained from vast experiences

I - intuition developed over many years

S - stories that paint a picture and teach

D - dumb things we did and learned from

O - opportunities taken or missed, and won or lost

M - mistakes we made which helped improve ourselves and our

circumstances

So here are just a few pieces of wisdom I learned from my Mom.

• See and Acknowledge others. My Mom had great awareness of other people and let them know she saw them.

"Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, trusest, version of themselves. When one feels seen and appreciated in their own essence, one is instantly empowered." Wes Angelozzi

• Encourage others. My Mom encouraged everyone. She let people be who they were and encouraged them by making them feel special for who they are.

• Challenge people. My Mom let her voice be heard. She advocated for herself and she advocated for what she felt was right. She let people know what she wanted them to know.

• Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. She took nothing for granted and gave it her best at whatever she did.

• Be grateful. My Mom grew up without a pot to piss in (literally, she had an outhouse). She was grateful for what she had and who she had in her life and let you know it.

• Enjoy the simple things. Enjoy the moment. Be present. It has taken me 67 years to really get this one. But wow, what a beautiful world we live in, if we just take the time to live in it.

I hope one of those might help you in some way.

The main thing is live life to the fullest. Be the best you you can be. Take some risks to create the life you want.

Don’t simply exist – live simply.

Don’t make excuses – make a difference.

Don’t blow it – take action and start now.

Thinking of you Mom, having a cup of cocoa in the Rosalie cup