42 Lessons - Little Wisdoms Derived From Daily Doings

I was sitting on the toilet one day doing my business when I noticed that something had changed in front of me. The magazines - someone had been reading them and reshuffled the order of the pile. I'm not one to read and excrete at the same time so I never checked what was in the pile before. Now, what stood on top was an Elle Decoration magazine. The title of the cover story was "42 New ways with flowers".

42? 42. 42! I knew that number sounded familiar. It was the most amount of points you could score on your report in high school. Wait... Not quite. I've got it!

42 is a significantly recurring number to someone here on Hubpages. It reminded me of her. Thank you to Svetlana (kallini2010) for making me aware of the number 42.

I re-read the title. "42 New..." It was a few days before the new year. So, what was I going to do that was new? What would I change? The answer: Nothing really. Resolutions never really worked for me. The things we do daily and the routines we get into never really change, so long as we're happy with them. However, I guess that developing and learning is a change. So, I thought of the things I do daily versus the lessons or changes. This is what I came up with.

1. Wake up – There’s no use sleeping through life. Most people die the day they are born. Live.

2. Open your eyes – Keep alive, see what’s in front of you.

3. Put on your shoes – Prepare yourself for it’s going to be a long day, I mean year. You’ll need tough soles.

4. Walk – Take the first steps. Use those legs. Go for strolls. Explore.

5. Brush your teeth – Nobody likes a bad mouth. If you’ve nothing good to say... There’s no reason to spread a bad odour, unless it’s based on constructive criticism or concern.

6. Take out the trash – Never start the day with yesterday’s rubbish. Be clean and recycle. Find new uses for old “junk” or just get rid of it.

7. Feed the pets – Never neglect your responsibilities.

8. Make your bed – Tidy up after yourself. Nobody else really can nor will.

9. Have a fresh cup of tea/coffee/drink of your choice – Intoxicate yourself with life and happy moments. Enjoy.

10. Buy bread at the bakery and milk at the dairy –Keep things simple and don’t neglect the basics. If you don’t eat bread nor drink milk, remember the water!

11. Water the plants – Water is life, nature is our foundation. Stay natural and true.

12. Take a shower – Freshen up and prepare to take on the world.

13. Get dressed – Look the part. Look happy and good. Fake it until you make it.

14. Brush your hair – Each new grey hair is a sign of wisdom.

15. Cook up a plan – Make goals and plan ahead.

16. Get to work! Plans don’t realise themselves.

17. Drive – Without it, where are you going? Know when to break and accelerate.

18. Take the easiest, shortest and quickest route. If it’s close enough, walk or take the bus. Save money and interact with others.

19. Smile – You look better that way and you make others feel better around you.

20. Laugh – It feels good and it exercises the stomach muscles.

21. Sing – Why else do you have such a lovely voice? Trust me, it is lovely, even if others don’t think so.

22. Shake hands with Westerners. Bow to Asians. Make new friends.

23. Make a call – Tell somebody you haven’t seen in a while that you love them. It’s always a refreshing reminder.

24. Pay the bills – Pay your dues.

25. Go shopping – Stock up on Earth supplies. Reward yourself from time to time but don’t overindulge.

26. Visit friends or family – Don’t sever the ties you need the most.

27. Hug – You need it.

28. Kiss – Simply because it feels good.

29. Remember when you woke up this morning and took those first steps. Keep walking no matter what. Allow yourself to stumble now and again. Tripping over your own feet is okay. Just get back up again.

30. Switch on the lights – Keep searching for new ways to enlighten yourself.

31. Do the washing – There’s no need to air your dirty laundry.

32. Clear and dust the surfaces. Remove your own dust. Discover the true self that lies underneath.

33. Make a note. Use those yellow Post-Its. “If you think it, ink it”, else you’ll forget.

34. Read – Literacy shouldn’t be wasted on the literate. Learn.

35. Write – Even when you have nothing to say, you have something to say.

36. Listen to the music and dance – Move your body. Exercise.

37. Eat. Enjoy the food when your outcome is achieved.

38. Wash the dishes – Show some appreciation to the cook.

39. Watch a movie – Remember your movie. Put on a show. Rewind to learn. Fast-forward to remember the plot.

40. Take a bath – Enjoy some alone time to reflect and cleanse.

41. Say your prayers – Congratulations! You just survived another day. Be grateful.

42. Switch off the lights. Lie down and go to sleep. Rest well and rejuvenate. Don’t be afraid of the dark. The light always comes.

I know this story started on the toilet, yet I didn't include going to the toilet here. It's a part of removing the excess or rubbish and cleansing yourself so I didn't think it necessary.

As for the flowers in the magazine cover title, I don't know much about flowers. All I can say is this. May your life blossom, and I hope I added a little something of value to it by writing this.

There's something else I forgot. Can you guess what it is? Ummm... It's sex, dummy. However, from my knowledge and experience, most people don't have sex daily nor even regularly. Nevertheless, make your own list and place it there. According to Dr. Oz, you should be having sex at least three times weekly to keep healthy.

Happy New Year to everyone and may you have many good days this year. I recommend at least 42 good weeks this year. 42 out of 52 is 81%. That is awesome!

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© Maja Dezulovic 2012