3 Things I’ve learned Since Turning 40

It just so happened my crew of foster puppies that I’m caring for woke unreasonably early this morning. My husband and I looked at each other and shook our heads. We knew they weren’t going back to sleep. We had to throw on our clothes and begin the process of carrying them downstairs and outside. I listened for the rain. The forecast called for a wet day. I was nervous. Nine dogs, seven of which are puppies, and rain can make for a challenging morning.

No rain! They woke in time for us to give them breakfast and have a quick romp outside before the first drops arrived. The timing was impeccable. Since I had an extra hour in my day, one I usually spent sleeping, I turned on my recording of Super Soul Sunday and listened to Maya Angelou’s words. Oprah spoke about one of her favorite quotes from Dr. Angelou: “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” Her words resonated with me. I thought about all those years I was a teacher. I guess I had considered my teaching days over, but then I realized that the lessons I’ve learned are weaved throughout this blog, my stories, and my life.

Dr. Angelou said that when you learn you should teach. Well, I have received many lessons over the years. I believe that some of my best lessons were learned after I turned forty. There was something about that 4 0 that held significance. As the years past, I’m 45 now, I found I was greeting the new lessons with open arms because I could see the difference they were making in my life. Here’s my top three along with the understanding that I have so much more to learn.

1. My environment creates my world. I can choose to surround myself in fear and negativity through shows I watch, people I listen to and articles I read, or I can choose to bring positivity, understanding, inspiration, courage, hope, and love into my life through those same avenues. Fear is powerful and addicting. It creates anxiety about the future and fuels emotions of distrust, separatism, loneliness, anger, and failure. Breaking free takes courage, effort, and an understanding that you have the power to choose worry or peace, to follow blindly or to seek knowledge.

2. Time is a gift. Fill it with things you love. Time with my family. Time with my friends. Time writing, running, reading, volunteering… It’s a gift meant to be cherished.

3. The way I live my life affects others. We are all teachers. Simply spending time on Facebook can prove that most of us have something to say. Some preach hate, some preach kindness, and some post funny memes about everyday life that make me laugh. Thank you, David Michael Slater! Thank you! When I look at my life and my teaching through living I want to feel as though I’ve taught acceptance, tolerance, seeking of knowledge, kindness, peace, and reverence for all life. What we speak, what we write, what we post, how we live, affects not only our well-being but also all of those around us.

Okay, there is one more I forgot to mention. Gratitude! Gratitude takes daily practice just like sit-ups. If you want to have a strong core you must exercise those abs. If you want to feel joy every day, exercise gratitude every day.

Well, It seems the little creatures who have taken up many of my hours for the past six weeks did me a huge favor by waking me up terribly early. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have turned on Super Soul Sunday, listened to Dr. Angelou, and thought about my role as a teacher and what I’ve learned so far. Puppies have a way of making us feel love even at 5 am.