Kicking It with wisdom

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal

Special to The Village News

They say, “wisdom comes with age” which should make me one of the wisest people around.

As it turns out, life presents numerous lessons along the road to wisdom. Therefore, why not learn from others?

For instance, when someone offers you help, take it. Drop your overblown worthless pride and say, “thank you.” What you will discover is your load gets lighter.

The second thing I learned was to accept praise. Like thank you, it can be awkward in the beginning. It will start to feel good when you just take it. All that is required after someone praises you is to say “thank you.”

Here is another bit of unsolicited wisdom. Make it your new resolution to pay off your credit card(s) each month. (No one can be debt free while paying credit card interest.) Until you can pay off the debt – transfer the balance to an interest free card, and start making smaller-twice-monthly payments which will lower your interest fees.

We’ve all heard that old adage “when life gives you lemons…” well, that’s the way I view the many uses for the disinfectant wipes I hoarded during Covid. Now, I use them in the water closet. Actually, I never stocked disinfectant wipes before which is why I still have gobs of them. They are great to wipe down the commode for a quick company-clean-up.

I still have 190 pairs of clear latex gloves (out of a box of 200) and figured out a new use for them. Last week I wore a pair to prepare beets for roasting. That was a good idea. My hands were not permanently dyed.

Because I am prone to knife cuts, when I nick my finger now, I grab a pair of latex gloves to wear over the band aid. It not only keeps the injury dry, but it also keeps the blood out of the food.

More wisdom that comes with age means I no longer fret about living up to other people’s expectations.

Raised by frugal parents, everything needed a second use. Such as those plastic vegetable bags from the grocery store. I use them as trash can liners for small waste baskets, as a tote for vegetable scraps for the grandchildren’s chickens, or for storing and packing shoes in suitcases.

Lastly, the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn always cost me money. The more money it cost me, the better I have retained the lesson.

One such lesson is that a posted speed limit is not a suggestion but the law. Just like stop signs are to stop at because a rolling-stop can cost upwards of $450.

Having fulfilled my lifetime quota of traffic fines long ago, I am bewildered by the number of folks zooming past me on South Mission coming in to town. After all, the posted speed limit is 35mph.

What I know is to ignore your dirty looks as you speed past me barreling up the street, I will without fail catch up to you at the first stoplight. And that my dears is the very essence of wisdom.

Elizabeth Youngman-Westphal can be reached at [email protected].