Lessons from my mother

Molly had a great idea for a Mother's Day post, so I have shamelessly copied it here. Thanks, Mom, for the following:

-- Make your bed every day before you leave the house.

-- Get a plant. You can't kill a sansevieria, so start with that. And keep an aloe in the kitchen.

-- If you burn your finger in the kitchen, pinch your earlobe with that finger. The heat will transfer and it  won't smart as much.

-- Find out what your date is ordering first so you have an idea what price range you're working with.

-- Always bring money for an emergency phone call or a cab ride home.

-- It takes less time to do something right the first time.

-- Use the common sense God gave a chicken.

-- Bring your lunch.

-- Marry someone who makes you laugh every day.

-- The SPCA is a wonderful place to find the newest addition to your household.

-- Good manners are another way of treating others as you'd like to be treated.

-- Read. Find out what's going on in the world.

-- For God's sake, there are germs on everything. Keep your counters clean!

-- Count your blessings every day.

-- Think about how the other person feels. Put yourself in their shoes.

-- Keep good records.

-- Remember, you need to slow down and relax.

-- Write the thank-you note the same day you open the present or go to the party.

-- Keep a good pair of scissors in your kitchen drawer.

-- Never call anyone names. You can't ever take that back.

-- Learn to live independently.

-- You don't need a man to change your car tires or do your home improvement projects. Do it yourself!

-- Make a list so you don't have to try and remember everything.

-- Bring your own chocolate bars into the movies.

-- Don't worry about what everyone else is wearing. Your own personal style will suit you much better.

-- If you don't do your best, you're only shortchanging yourself.

-- Before you buy anything, figure out how many hours' work you had to do to pay for it. Is it worth it?

-- Everything happens for a reason.

-- Don't expect the reason to be immediately evident.

-- And you don't have to like the reason.

-- Turn off the lights when you leave the room.

-- Don't ever say or do anything you wouldn't want on the front page of a newspaper.

-- When you're wrapping presents, fold down the corners of the paper with hospital-bed creases and you'll have a tidy package when you tape the flaps down.

-- People will tell you "no"; it's how you respond that matters.

-- Think about how your actions affect other people.

-- Don't bring anything into the house that you don't want to take care of every day or clean every week.

-- You have to live with the person you see in the mirror every day.

-- You don't have to be perfect. Your friends and family will love you anyway.

Comments

[Jessica]

Loved Molly's post and I love yours, too. I got all freaked out reading the first two lessons you listed. My mom gave me a sansevieria when I went to college, and said as she gave it to me, "Here. It's a sansevieria. They're hard to kill." And there's always aloe in her kitchen.