I've Learned....

I've learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 
     minutes.  After that, you'd better know something. 

  I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best 
     others can do, but to the best you can do.

  I've learned that it's not what happens to people that's 
     important.  It's what they do about it.

  I've learned that you can do something in an instant that 
     will give you a heartache for life. 

  I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are 
     always two sides.

  I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the 
     person I want to be.

  I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to 
     think.

  I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with 
     loving words.  It may be the last time you see them. 

  I've learned that you can keep going long after you think 
       you can't.

  I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no 
     matter how we feel.

  I've learned that either you control your attitude or it
     controls you.

  I've learned that sometimes I just need to be held. 

  I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a
     relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had 
     better be something else to take its place.

  I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to 
     be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the 
     consequences.

  I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice. 

  I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but 
     just don't know how to show it.

  I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score. 

  I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or 
     nothing and have the best time.

  I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you 
     when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up. 

  I've learned that I'm getting more and more like my grandma, 
     and I'm kinda happy about it.

  I've learned that a Sunday, following Saturday night of 
     drinking more than twelve mixed shots of hard liquor, is 
      best spent in bed.

  I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right 
      to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be 
      cruel.

  I've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even 
     over the longest distance.  Same goes for true love. 

  I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the 
     way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you 
     with all they have.

  I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people 
     just don't care back.

  I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of 
     experiences you've had and what you've learned from them 
     and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated. 

  I've learned that you should never tell a child her dreams 
     are unlikely or outlandish.  Few things are more humiliating, 
     and what a tragedy it would be if she believed it.

  I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. 
      It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can 
      take care of you and love you and teach you to trust 
      people again.  Families aren't biological.

  I've learned that no matter how good a friend someone is, 
     they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you 
     must forgive them for that.

  I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by 
     others.  Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself. 

  I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken 
     the world doesn't stop for your grief.

  I've learned that our background and circumstances may 
     have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for 
     who we become.

  I've learned that sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced 
     to choose sides even when I don't want to.

  I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't 
     mean they don't love each other.  And just because they 
     don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

  I've learned that sometimes you have to put the individual 
     ahead of their actions.

  I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only 
     seconds to destroy it.

  I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we 
     understand that friends change.

  I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a 
     secret.  It could change your life forever.

  I've learned that the clothes I like best are the ones with 
     the most holes in them.

  I've learned that it's not what you have in your life,  but 
     who you have in your life that counts.

  I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing 
     and see something totally different.

  I've learned that you cannot make someone love you.  All you 
     can do is be someone who can be loved.  The rest is up to 
     them.

  I've learned that no matter how you try to protect your 
     children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the 
     process.

  I've learned that there are many ways of falling and staying 
       in love.

  I've learned that no matter the consequences, those who are 
     honest with themselves, get farther in life.

  I've learned that many things can be powered by the mind, 
     the trick is self-control.

  I've learned that no matter how many friends you have, if 
     you are their pillar, you will feel lonely and lost at the 
     times you need them most.

  I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of 
     hours by people who don't even know you.

  I've learned that even when you think you have no more to 
     give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the 
     strength to help.

  I've learned that writing, as well as talking, can ease 
     emotional pains.

  I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is 
     offered to us.

  I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a 
     decent human being.

  I've learned that the people you care most about in life are 
     taken from you too soon.

  I've learned that although the word "love" can have many 
      different meanings, it loses value when overly used. 

  I've learned that it's hard to determine where to draw the 
     line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings 
     and standing up for what you believe.

  - Author unknown (courtesy of Debbie Nickel)