Lessons From Aunt Grace

I have an Aunt Marsha, an Aunt Judy, an Aunt Audrey, an Aunt Lynne, an Aunt Ramona, an Aunt Chris, and an Aunt Jule.

For the record:  I do not have an Aunt Grace.

But somebody does, and that somebody wrote an article that was published in Reader’s Digest in 1990.  She wrote about her Aunt Grace, and the Lessons she had learned from her.

And, my mom took the Lessons to heart back then, but I didn’t know about them until just recently.

 

This is what she gave my sister and me for a Christmas gift.  A small tile inscribed with the Lessons.

When I was making my 2012 Dream List, I decided they needed to be on it.

They just make sense.  They are basic things we should do every day.  To be good people.  To be healthy.  To stay balanced.  To be happy.  To bring happiness to others.  And to get things done that we don’t want to do.  All in the same day.  Every day.

And that last one has really helped me out of a few lazy episodes. 

For example:  I’ve had 3 huge sweet potatoes sitting on top of my dehydrator for at least 2 weeks.  Their intended lot in life was to become sweet potato “chips” in the dehydrator, but they just were not peeling themselves.  And, that was the first step.  After that, they needed to be cut into chips.  They weren’t slicing themselves either.  But, I sure have had a craving for them for the past few weeks.  Just craving them doesn’t get it done either.

But, Aunt Grace’s Lesson #3 DID get it done.  “Do something I don’t want to do that needs doing.”

Last night.  I finally bit the bullet.  I peeled them, sliced them, olive oiled them and sea salted them.  And, now I have hundreds of slices of sweet potatoes drying into delicious chips.  (If they are as delicious as I think, I’ll post the recipe.)

I hope Aunt Grace will help you out too.

Just remember the Lessons.  It helps to write them out and put them somewhere you’ll see them a lot.  Mine are by the coffee maker.  A place I frequent many times throughout the day (despite my constant battle with should I drink coffee? or should I not drink coffee?):

1.  Do something for someone else.

2.  Do something for myself.

3.  Do something I don’t want to do that needs doing.

4.  Do a physical exercise.

5.  Do a mental exercise.

6.  Do an original prayer that always includes counting my blessings.

Now, to be completely representative of how I really am, in my reality of real life, I can vouch for the fact that (LISTEN UP), I do not get all of these done every day.  Some days, I still don’t even remember to think of them.  But, when I do, I have a more balanced day.  I do more of a variety of things.  I don’t get all holed up into doing just one thing. 

And, more and more of my days are becoming Aunt Grace days.

Thanks, Aunt Grace.  May your wisdom continue to guide us all.

-  The Goat Cheese Lady

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