31 Lessons Learned...Lesson 3

     It’s hard to be sad when you hear a baby laugh

Try it, I dare you.  Even if you aren't a "baby person" the sound of a baby laughing is pure happiness.

      I am constantly surrounded by kids, and I love it. I have a niece and nephew that live overseas, too many cousins to count and family friends. Growing up I have always known that I don't want kids of my own, and even at 31 I can confirm that.  I have never had that desire that other women speak about for children, I don't know why I don't want kids, but I know that I love being around them.   Kids are so honest and fun.  They aren't concerned with the problems of the world, all they want is to enjoy life, something that adults forget about.  We get so wrapped up in our jobs, our problems, our friends problems, our neighbors problems, our politicians problems, even the problems of strangers (Keeping up with the Kardashians anyone?).  It's almost like we reach a moment in life that we forget that life should be simple.  Being around kids reminds me of this.  It doesn't take a complicated joke to make kids laugh.  Its the simple things that do it. 

      I was playing with my younger cousins on Thanksgiving and they were cracking me up as I was making them laugh.  One of them had pulled out a old Mr. Potato head toy, I took various objects and placed it on my head as if I was a big potato, and making comments about it in a odd voice. 

       

       "Ohhh look at this hat on my head, does it fit properly?  Why are you laughing at such a time like this? I need to know how my hat looks!"

   

      That sent them in a fit of hysterics, had they been adults, they probably would have whispered about how strange I was and then walked away. Simple things.  

           

       My next lesson I will be talking more about F*R*I*E*N*D*S, but this scene accurately depicts my point.

            

    Next time you are in a bad mood, make a baby laugh, it is a guaranteed mood lifter.  

  

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31 Lessons Learned...Lesson 2

Having a dog means someone is always happy to see you.

As long as I can remember I have loved dogs.  Growing up I had a few dogs, but never really understood the love that dogs can really give until I got older.  If you have never had a pet of any kind, it is hard to understand how they aren't just a animal, they are family.  To me having a dog means so much more than having a pet.  A dog is loving, they never judge you, they won't gossip about you to other dogs, they don't care if you wear makeup, they love when you over eat so they can clean up the mess, they want you to stay home and bum around the couch, they are always ready to play, they are sad to see you go, but more importantly they are always happy to see you.  

When I have a bad day at work, there is nothing better than walking through the front door of my house and having my dog, Remy, jump all over me.  He doesn't know what happened that day, but he always knows how to make me feel better.  Family and friends always feel that they need to help you solve your problems, but sometimes you just want to have a bad day, and dogs somehow understand that.  If I want to be depressed and lay on my bed and watch 6 episodes of Doctor Who, Remy will lay down right next to me.  If I am in the mood to go for a long walk, Remy will always walk with me. I never have to explain myself to Remy, he loves me no matter what.  

Dogs give the type of unconditional love that every human being desires.  If you don't have a pet, I encourage you to get one, it will change your life.

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31 Lessons Learned- Lesson 1

On the morning of my 31st birthday I decided to make a list of things I have learned over the years.  This list became lessons I have been taught by others, quotes that I have inspired me in one way or another or just general ideas that I enjoy.  I posted it on my Facebook page as my status for that day, and it got a lot of positive responses.  So, at the encouragement from my sister (Nadia Zerka), I am going to write in more detail what each lesson learned means to me.

Number 1

You don't know what you can get unless you ask for it, the worst thing someone can tell you is no.  

This is kind of two lessons in one.  Anyone that has ever met my dad, whether it is from personal or business encounters, they know that this is his motto.  I can't even remember the first time my dad told me this, but I can remember using this lesson multiple times.

The first time it really benefited me the most was when I started at the University of Michigan-Flint.  I was registering for classes with the help of my cousin Ronny.  Since I was transferring from Mott Community College, I had to figure out what classes transferred, and which ones I had to retake for credit.  One of the math courses I had taken a Mott didn't transfer, and I did not want to take it again.  At the time I was planning on studying Political Science, and had absolutely no interest in taking any additional math courses.  I asked the counselor what I could do, and she informed me that I would have to speak with someone in the Math department to override it.  With my dad's words ringing in my head "The worst they'll tell you is no", Ronny and I set off to the Math department.  After we walked into the office with saw a professor and started to explain my situation.  I wasn't able to articulate what I needed exactly, so my cousin Ronny took over and in the end the Professor signed the piece of paper and I was able to by pass that class. It saved me a lot of time and money in the end.

Another time that it really helped me out was during the Premier Orlando hair show in 2009.  We found ourselves short of a few office items, pens, receipt paper and shopper bags.  As I was making a list of what we needed, the convention foreman was going around checking on all the vendors.  When he approached our booth I had asked him for the items that we needed.  He told me "Let me see what I can do" and left the booth.  One of my co-workers looked at me and said "I can't believe you asked him for that stuff" I turned to her and said the words of my dad "You don't know what you can get unless you ask for it, the worst thing he will tell me is no".  A few moments later he had came back with everything I asked for.  He then asked if there was anything else we needed, and another thought came to mind.  Our backroom staff was short of space in the Model Prep area, however there was a larger room next to them that was empty.  So I kindly asked the foreman if there was a way we could have the larger room, at no extra charge.  He got on his walkie talkie and spoke to some people, came back and said "No problem, its yours.  You can still use the one you have as well".  With a bit of pride in my step, I walked to the back and informed everyone that they now had use of the bigger room.

I could go on and on about stories like these, but I can leave that for another time.  Just remember, all you have to do is ask.