Before I forget

Some people jot down notes on large legal pads. Some use sticky notes. Lately I’ve been pulling out my phone and taking pictures of interesting quotes and memes that I want to return to later. They range from reminders about how much I love the beach to married life to fighting aging.

My list tends to be a hodgepodge, but I think that’s what I love about them, that they have no rhyme or reason to the setting sun and they might even contradict each other. They inspire me nonetheless and I think readers might like them too. Here goes:

—Life takes you down many paths, but the best ones lead to the beach.

—You’re totally replaceable at work. You’re not replaceable at home. Home is your real life. Keep that perspective and protect it.

—In just one hour, the US Postal Service processes an average of 20.2 million pieces of mail. In a year, that adds up to more than 146 billion mail items. The USPS estimates that the percentage of mail lost each year is less than 0.5%, meaning for every 10,000 pieces, less than 50 of them will be lost.

—”Im not 25, so why should I be trying to look 25? Aging is what happens if we’re lucky; it mean’s that I’m alive.” —Cindy Crawford.

—When you have something important to say to your kids, say it very quietly so that they have to listen. They’re immune to you yelling, but whispering gets and keeps their attention.

—”We’ve gotten so good at blaming everything but ourselves. The second you blame yourself (in a respectful, productive way), you can start controlling the outcome you want.” —Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk

—A small portion of the U.S. Seal ethos: “I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission.”

—”Be decisive. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.” —Unknown.

—Try something new today, tomorrow, and the next day. Always be learning.

—Life is too short to worry about stupid things. Have fun. Regret nothing, and don’t let people bring you down.

—“I never met a bitter person who was thankful. Or a thankful person who was bitter.”—Nick Vujicic.

—”We are at our most powerful moment when we no longer need to be powerful.” —Eric Michael Levanthal

—You may have never heard of Dr. Vivien Thomas, but he was an African American laboratory supervisor who developed a procedure used to treat blue baby syndrome (cyanotic heart disease) in the 1940s. Thomas was unique in that he did not have any professional education or experience in a research laboratory; however, he served as supervisor of the surgical laboratories at Johns Hopkins University for 35 years. In 1976, Hopkins awarded him an honorary doctorate and named him a surgical instructor. Without any education past high school, Thomas rose above poverty and racism to become a cardiac surgery pioneer and a teacher of operative techniques to many of the country’s most prominent surgeons. Countless people owe their life to him.

—“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas … perhaps, means a little bit more!” ―Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

—Be kind. Always be kind.

Let me know your thoughts on my “Before I forget” list.