my box....

i have this box.

it is abox of letters from all the important people that have been in my life. some good. some bad.

i found something in it last night. you see. i could not sleep and was actually up until 5am and sometime between 1am and 4am, i found my box.

when i turned 21 my great grandma wrote me a card and in her handwriting, she wrote:

21 things to remember at 21- life tips, if you will
1. no one can ruin your day without your permission.
2. most people will be about as happy as they decide to be.
3. others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.
4. whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have.
5. success stops when you do.
6. when your ship comes in... make sure you are willing to unload it.
7. you will never have it all together.
8. life is a journey... not a destination. enjoy your trip!
9. the biggest lie on the planet- "when i get what i want, i will be happy."
10. the est way to escape your problem is to solve it.
11. i've learned that ultimately, takers lose and givers win.
12. life's precious moments don't have value, unless they are shared.
13. if you don't start, it is certain you will not arrive.
14. we often fear what we most want.
15. he or she who laughs lasts.
16. yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.
17. look at opportunities- not guarantees.
18. life is what is- not what was.
19. success is getting up one more time.
20. now is the most interesting time of all.
21. when things go wrong- don't go with them.

how i fell in love with her all over again reading her lovely handwriting last night. i know some of these ideas are recycled, but i loved that she thought of me, in her 88th year of life, and wrote me a note of what she thought was most important for me at 21. it made me wonder what she thought i should know now, at 31. especially after cancer. and some of the other things that i have been going through personally lately. so i channelled some of my mona last night. and i added 10 more for 31. with thoughts of her in mind- this is what i came up with:

22. God will give it to you, because you truly can handle it.
23. when you let someone down, be sure to pick them back up as gently as you know how to.
24. if someone asks you to dance, always say yes.
25. take lots of pictures.
26. everywhere you go, the grass is the same shade of green.
27. live out loud.
28. Always believe in the power of the human spirit.
29. Don't ever miss a chance to say "i love you."
30. avoid toxic people.
31. if people look at themselves long enough, they will find that they truly are strongest at the broken places.

with grandmas help, today is a much better day my friends.