For those of you who live in the Annandale area, you might have noticed a minivan with a huge “HONK I’m 50 Today” sign on the back. Unbeknownst to me, my son Jack made this lovely sign of declaration in his art class. (Thanks Mr. Sparks…I owe you one!)
As I’m driving the kids to school I kept asking why people were honking and Jack kept saying, “Oh Mom they’re not honking at you!”
Seven honks later it dawned on me what the little rascal had done! I wasn’t a killjoy though I took my HONKS in stride for the rest of the day.
And it was a pretty wonderful day…. gifts, cards, flowers, breakfast, lunch and dinner provided by friends and family…. what more could a girl want? How about 50 signs in front of my driveway stating my age and 100 pink flamingos all over my lawn? Yes, I was FLOCKED! To top it all off my mom surprised me with a trip. So I have to ask is my cup half full or half empty?
All my life I have said that I was a half full kind of person but now when I’m thinking in terms of age maybe it should be half empty so I can continue to fill it to the top. If I plan to live to be 100 (not an unrealistic goal I think) then that means the second half of my life has just begun. The best part is I now know so much more than I did the first 50 years!
Here are a few of the gems I picked up along the way…
One: Be Nice…This sounds so simple but it’s true. You never know who is going to cross your path or how you will be connected to them in the future so try to be nice to everyone. Start this early too…. you might think it’s not important when you are in school but take it from an old lady, the kid you meet today could be your neighbor in 20 years (or your boss!) so keep an open mind and an open heart. Just be nice.
Just this week a man I went to high school with in Grand Marais more than 30 years ago met a lady I know in Rochester from Woman’s Wellness Weekend…. I hope if my name came up between them they would both say, yeah she’s nice.
Two: Be Honest…The greatest compliment I ever received from a boss was when I was 16 years old. She said I was as “honest as a judge.” I loved that compliment. I stress to my kids all the time the only thing you have in this world is your word. If people find they can’t trust that you are sunk. Even if it’s playing a game of cards or touch football, don’t cheat, you just look bad and you’re not really fooling anyone.
Three: Be Happy…Wake up every morning and choose to be happy. Do it like you are picking pancakes off a menu. Choose to be happy every day. Aches, pains, bills and problems will be there every day of your life…. if you focus on those, trust me you won’t be happy. Try to be thankful for all the good things…if nothing else, the sun came up and you were here to see it! The fact of the matter is you have one life to live and it’s either half over or just begun. It’s 50/50 from now on.
Don’t ever mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance, or my kindness for weakness.
Carson Kolhoff
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