Life never runs out of things to teach us. Some days it feels like I could fill a library with all my lessons. And I haven’t always gracefully accepted all this learning. I resisted a lot of it.

I like to think that a new level of acceptance comes with aging. That reaching 60 somehow makes it easier to embrace what we’re being handed. I’m still learning about that, too.

Appreciating Our Lessons Isn’t Easy

In a previous post, I talked about ways we can reclaim joy in difficult times. Many of the lessons we learn in this season of life are just plain hard. They can knock the wind out of us and bring us to our knees.

And because we’re now “older and wiser,” we also feel like we should know better, do better, during these times.

I can be pretty hard on myself about how I ‘should’ be handling what I’m still learning. So recently, instead of beating myself up, I tried a little exercise. I invite you to do this, too.

Drop into a Moment of Quiet

Close your eyes and silently list the things you know for sure. Take a moment and feel into the many lessons you’ve learned.

As they wash over you, don’t be surprised if you’re comforted, surprised and enlightened all in the same breath. Especially if, like me, you’ve ever had to learn things the hard way.

Life’s Lessons Are a Treasure

Our life lessons are too numerous to count, yet a few stand out among the rest. I’ve come to embrace these 10 in particular:

• Stillness is a sacred place.
• Setting compassionate boundaries is an excellent form of self-care. So is forgiveness.
• True friends will challenge you but never abandon you.
• Rest is not a luxury. It’s a requirement.
• We can all open up to all possibilities. What separates the dreamers from the doers is courage. Support. Commitment. Repeatedly.
• Death is unavoidable and takes many forms, all of them painful, all of them necessary.
• An aging body is a trusted messenger, longing to be heard. And I’ve learned to listen.
• Everyone has an Inner Truth. Paths to access it can be learned.
• God first whispers, then speaks, and finally shouts… but only if necessary. That’s up to each of us.
• Becoming a wise woman means remembering how to play.

No matter our age, as long as we’re drawing a breath, we leave ourselves open to what life has to teach us. And what we learn can come amidst peace or panic.

Either way, the lesson’s message is the treasure – one designed especially for us.

What life lessons have you learned that you still treasure? What are you still learning during this stage of life? Please join the conversation!