<p>Be friendly to the support staff. They really are good people, a day will come when you need a really big favor, and they talk about us behind our backs.</p>
<p>Other peoples opinions are none of your business! Sometimes we spend way too much time worrying about what others think.</p>
<p>Post #41, that sounds like seething Pizzagirl should write. :D</p>
<p>Keep looking. Look under things. Say a prayer to St. Anthony.</p>
<p>Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.</p>
<p>I like the following story… a similar one was on our fridge when the kids were younger… </p>
<p>An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.</p>
<p>“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”</p>
<p>The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”</p>
<p>The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”</p>
<p>**The Mexican Fisherman and the Investment Banker<a href=“Author%20Unknown”>/b</a></p>
<p>An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.</p>
<p>The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”</p>
<p>The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?</p>
<p>The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.</p>
<p>The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”</p>
<p>The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, and stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”</p>
<p>The American scoffed. “I have an MBA from Harvard, and can help you,” he said. “You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middle-man, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening up your own cannery. You could control the product, processing, and distribution,” he said. “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”</p>
<p>The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”</p>
<p>To which the American replied, “Oh, 15 to 20 years or so.”</p>
<p>“But what then?” asked the Mexican.</p>
<p>The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO, and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”</p>
<p>“Millions – then what?”</p>
<p>The American said, “Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos.”</p>
<p>I need to write these down…I’m enjoying this thread.</p>
<p>About jobs–one of D’s professor’s said “There are three things to look for in a job. Love of the work, location,and money.Pick any two and you’ll be okay.”</p>
<p>^^ I’ve got two out of three. I guess I’m golden. </p>
<p>One of my dad’s favorites that I pull out fairly often is “If you’re going to be a bear be a grizzly” - in other words, be all in and don’t do things in half measures or if it’s worth doing it’s worth doing right.</p>
<p>“Smile at your enemies, it will drive them crazy” Dad</p>
<p>“The fruit of hard work is always the sweetest” - Absolutely love this!</p>
<p>S… or get off the pot.</p>
<p>That line of thinking has come in very useful sometimes.</p>
<p>Sort of the opposite of #48: One of my favorite quotes is: “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly,” from G.K. Chesterton. This quote inspires me because if I worried about doing everything perfectly (which I tend to do), I would never do anything at all. My rose garden is a prime example-- not much to look at and somewhat neglected. I suppose a master gardener would find it pathetic and embarrassing. But I still get quite a few pretty roses out there. Not that I want to do everything half-a**ed, but I have to give myself permission to go ahead and try without being an expert at something.</p>
<p>No education is ever a waste.</p>
<p>I love this thread.</p>
<p>Three additional ones from me:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>“It shouldn’t be hard”, said my dad, speaking about relationships. If it’s that much work, why are you in it? This applies to many things, even to children if you realize that sometimes it’s you.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t carry things with you. This may be the hardest to learn but here’s a story, which I may have told before: 2 monks who have taken vows of silence and of no contact at all with women walk up to a rushing, swollen stream. A woman is standing on the bank, unable to cross. She asks if they could help her and one of the monks says yes, picks her up, carries her through the dangerous water and puts her safely down on the far bank. Decades later the now elderly monks have been released from their vow of silence. One monk says to the other, “Why did you speak to that woman and carry her across that stream?” The other monk says, “Why are you still carrying her?” </p></li>
<li><p>God is in your pocket. I owe this to Richard Hertz, a weird but brilliant man. No matter what is in there, God is in your pocket. Even if there is nothing in there, God is in your pocket. It isn’t that God is in your heart or in your mind but that wherever you reach, even if there is nothing there, God is there. It may not be advice, but it’s incredibly meaningful to me.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Before trying to help “solve” a situation or problem, ask the speaker if that is the goal or if venting is the goal. Do NOT try to “solve” something that the other just wants to vent and a friendly ear and shoulder. It’s often most helpful if you are just a friendly ear or shoulder anyway and let the speaker reach his or her own solution, that they generally already know.</p>
<p>Have the strength to change what you feel needs to be changed and serenity to accept things that will just “be,” as well as the wisdom to know the difference.</p>
<p>This isn’t the best advice, but it’s the most memorable advice my husband and I ever got. As Roman Catholics, we were required to go through Pre-Cana counselling (a new idea in the 80’s). Since we had dated for 3 years, and had already purchased a house, my mother prevailed upon our pastor to fast-forward the whole Pre-Cana thing. Since he was ultra-conservative, he was totally cool with that.So we met in the rectory, and he told us:</p>
<p>“Buy good furniture. Don’t waste your money on cheap stuff.”</p>
<p>“Don’t let your creepy Uncle Ernie watch your kids.” (OK, I’m paraphrasing here)</p>
<p>“Get plenty of sleep.”</p>
<p>“Any way you want to have sex is fine, as long as it winds up the regular way.” (again, paraphrasing)</p>
<p>This advice has held us together for over 30 years, for the humor value alone.</p>
<p>Never try to make a happy child happier</p>
<p>I have really been enjoying following this thread. Thanks, all of you! I have no idea what’s the most valuable advice I’ve ever received, but I’ll add this saying to the list.</p>
<p>Kosher isn’t just about what goes into your mouth. It’s about what comes out of it.</p>