While school and university are great platforms for learning, to my mind, Life proves to be the best teacher by far.  While the former imparts theory, Life shows you… well, life.  How the everyday works.  And it is not the kind of stuff you can get from a text book.  It’s the hard-hitting realities and truths that you can only learn by experiencing it.

So far in my life I had to learn some hard lessons.  It is not always easy to deal with the disappointment, but I am better for it.

A few of the things I have learned so far:

Family members are not as interested in seeing your holiday photos as what you are.  I have taken a multitude of pictures “to show my mom and dad; because they will really enjoy this!”.  For some reason, after picture number 453, their enthusiasm is not what it was when the slideshow first came on.

After I’ve put nail polish on my nails, I will need to go to the bathroom.  It doesn’t help to go just before.  Nope, I’ve tried that.  Inexplicably my bladder is linked to fresh nail polish that needs to dry.

After living with terrible, faded and outgrown hair for weeks, the day I go to the hairdresser to finally get my hair done, it will look the best that it ever has.

The first time I try a new recipe will always be amazing.  However, past performance is not a guarantee of future success and as a result, the second time is normally a disaster.  Let’s just say the panna cotta I practiced for Christmas pudding was an amazing test, but more a “puddle of cotta” on the day it was meant to be a star.

If you try some pants on in the store and it fits just a tad too tight, chances are very good it will never fit.  Don’t believe yourself when you say “Well, I am on a diet… so it is just a matter of days before it fits…” No, it will not happen.

If you spot something really expensive that you like and buy it, within a few weeks you will find it on sale for a third of the price.  However, if you decide to wait for a sale, that specific thing you were looking for won’t be there anymore.

The neater the handbag, the more difficult to find things inside it.

Not that I have had much experience with grey hair (!!) but for every one grey hair that you try and pull out, you will pull out at least 5 perfectly good hairs instead.  And when you finally manage to get hold of the grey you will end up breaking it off, instead of eradicating it completely.  Those things stick like the roots of a thousand year old tree.

Yes, learning can be tough business.

But what is the most profound thing that I have learnt so far in my schooling with Life?  “Be miserable.  Or motivate yourself.  What ever has be done done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer.

It is something that I continue to learn every day.  Just like school, you have to practice at Life.  The best part about it though is that you will only fail once you stop trying.  So happy learning!  I know my education continues.

And a little bit of humour goes a long way!