Life Lessons - Reflections on My 36th Birthday.

Today marks the thirty-sixth year since my birth in the dewey, pre-dawn hours of Portland, Maine. After hours of labor, I was placed my mother’s stomach as they announced “it’s a girl”. Through a medicated fog she mumbled “that’s nice” and fell asleep.

Well, who can blame her? Child birth is exhausting, not to mention traumatizing, for both mother and child. From that moment on, the learning curve catapults upward.

With almost four decades behind me, I have learned a lot of lessons. Here’s my short list:

1. Listen more than you talk.
2. Read more than you write.
3. Learn more than you teach.

These three rules stem from the belief that each experience in life is an opportunity for growth. Those who are focused on their own self-expression, on getting others to see the world from their own perspective, generally miss valuable learning opportunities. Their energy is focused on changing others and not changing themselves.

This is a tricky paradigm for artists, writers, and musicians. It’s the creative mind is driven by the desire to express thought and emotion. Yet, we must remember to be open (perhaps more open than others) so that when we do create, we create more than the stale images of our self-absorbed ranting.

I am grateful to each and every one of you who have stopped by today and I hope to hear from you, to read your comments, and to learn from your experiences.

Republished with permission from Modern Matriarch.