Some questions about "Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on"
Jun 23rd 2009 10:21
english
question
quote
Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on - Plain Dealer Extra
http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2007/09/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html
Recently, this article is becoming a popular topic on the Web. Although some people introduce the arranged versions which are supposed to be written by a 90 years old person, this seems to be the original version. It is easy to read and really nice contents, however, some parts are puzzling me to get what she really meant. Of course, I know that even native speakers can have different interpretations for such a short sentence like quotes or proverbs, but if you could give any comments how and why you thought, I'd appreciate it.
<2> When in doubt, just take the next small step.
From this one, I got two different lessons. Which do you think fit in this sentence?
A) Even if it's in doubt, you should keep stepping forward little by little.
B) When you are unsure the decision for the future, you better take only a small risk.
A) 疑わしいときでも（先が見えなくても）、とにかく小さな一歩踏み出してみよう
B) 疑わしいときには（先が見えないときには）、とりあえず次の一歩は小さく踏み出そう
<8> It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
I couldn't get what the "take it" really means. Does it mean:
A) He will accept it (and give no punishment).
B) He will be able to solve the issue which makes you get angry.
神に腹を立てても構わない、
A) 神はそれを受け入れてくれる。
B) 神はそれを解決してくれる。
<10> When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
(チョコレートに抵抗しようなんて無理なこと)
Because the phrase "when it comes to" seems to be very useful, I'd like to get used to it. Does this mean "Whenever you find chocolate, you can not avoid to eat"?
<17> You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
（今日という日としっかり向き合えば、どんなことでも成し遂げられる）
Does "if you stay put in today" means "if you can face the trouble everyday"?
<19> It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
（幸せな子供時代はいつだって取り戻せる。ただし、それはあなた次第）
I'm wondering the nuance of "up to you". Which do you think is closer to the original phrase, "it depends on whether you are ready or not" or "it relies on how you change your point of view"?
<20> When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
（一生をかけて夢中になれるものに出会ったら、何が何でも諦めないこと）
Again "when it comes" appears. How do you think about my interpretation? "No matter when you meet the things you can love for the rest of your life, never say 'No' for giving them up."
<22> Overprepare, then go with the flow.
（十分過ぎるくらい準備をして、後は流れに任せよう／人事を尽くして天命を待つ）
In the arranged version, the word "overprepare" turned into "over prepare". Does it still keep the same meaning? I supposed that "Overprepare" means "prepare even if it's too much" and "over prepare" just means "Once you ready". Does my understanding make sense grammatically?
<23> Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
（変わり者になるなら今すぐになってしまおう。それが許される年齢になるまで待つことはないよ）
What does "to wear purple" mean?
<25> No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
（あなたを幸せにするのはあなた以外の誰でもないよ）
In the arranged version, "except you" turned into "but you". Is there any difference between "except" and "but" in this sentence?
<27> Always choose life.
（いつでも「生きること」を選択しよう）
I took this "life" as a meaning of survive. Does the "life" has such a meaning?
<43> All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
（人生で本当に一番大切なことは、あなたが誰かを愛したかということ）
Why is it "loved" but not "love" ?
Which can I replace "in the end of the life" or "after all" instead of "in the end"?
<46> No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
（どんな気分のときでも、とにかく起き上がって、着替えて、人前に出よう）
I thought that "show up" means that "show yourself in public" Am I getting correctly what she meant?
<49> Yield.
（先を譲ること or 何かを生み出すこと？）
I can find a couple of means of "yield" in dictionary. Which do you think she meant "produce something" or "yield precedence to someone"
I'm already 35 years old. But I might be still too young to know whole things in this list.
Following part is just a copy from the original for my reference. Please ignore this part for correction.
*******************
1 Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2 When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3 Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4 Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5 Pay off your credit cards every month.
6 You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7 Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8 It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9 Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10 When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11 Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12 It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13 Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14 If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15 Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16 Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17 You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18 A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19 It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20 When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21 Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22 Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23 Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24 The most important sex organ is the brain.
25 No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26 Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27 Always choose life.
28 Forgive everyone everything.
29 What other people think of you is none of your business.
30 Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31 However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32 Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33 Believe in miracles.
34 God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35 Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36 Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37 Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38 Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39 Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40 If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41 Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42 Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43 All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44 Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45 The best is yet to come.
46 No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48 If you don't ask, you don't get.
49 Yield.
50 Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2007/09/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html
Recently, this article is becoming a popular topic on the Web. Although some people introduce the arranged versions which are supposed to be written by a 90 years old person, this seems to be the original version. It is easy to read and really nice contents, however, some parts are puzzling me to get what she really meant. Of course, I know that even native speakers can have different interpretations for such a short sentence like quotes or proverbs, but if you could give any comments how and why you thought, I'd appreciate it.
<2> When in doubt, just take the next small step.
From this one, I got two different lessons. Which do you think fit in this sentence?
A) Even if it's in doubt, you should keep stepping forward little by little.
B) When you are unsure the decision for the future, you better take only a small risk.
A) 疑わしいときでも（先が見えなくても）、とにかく小さな一歩踏み出してみよう
B) 疑わしいときには（先が見えないときには）、とりあえず次の一歩は小さく踏み出そう
<8> It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
I couldn't get what the "take it" really means. Does it mean:
A) He will accept it (and give no punishment).
B) He will be able to solve the issue which makes you get angry.
神に腹を立てても構わない、
A) 神はそれを受け入れてくれる。
B) 神はそれを解決してくれる。
<10> When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
(チョコレートに抵抗しようなんて無理なこと)
Because the phrase "when it comes to" seems to be very useful, I'd like to get used to it. Does this mean "Whenever you find chocolate, you can not avoid to eat"?
<17> You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
（今日という日としっかり向き合えば、どんなことでも成し遂げられる）
Does "if you stay put in today" means "if you can face the trouble everyday"?
<19> It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
（幸せな子供時代はいつだって取り戻せる。ただし、それはあなた次第）
I'm wondering the nuance of "up to you". Which do you think is closer to the original phrase, "it depends on whether you are ready or not" or "it relies on how you change your point of view"?
<20> When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
（一生をかけて夢中になれるものに出会ったら、何が何でも諦めないこと）
Again "when it comes" appears. How do you think about my interpretation? "No matter when you meet the things you can love for the rest of your life, never say 'No' for giving them up."
<22> Overprepare, then go with the flow.
（十分過ぎるくらい準備をして、後は流れに任せよう／人事を尽くして天命を待つ）
In the arranged version, the word "overprepare" turned into "over prepare". Does it still keep the same meaning? I supposed that "Overprepare" means "prepare even if it's too much" and "over prepare" just means "Once you ready". Does my understanding make sense grammatically?
<23> Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
（変わり者になるなら今すぐになってしまおう。それが許される年齢になるまで待つことはないよ）
What does "to wear purple" mean?
<25> No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
（あなたを幸せにするのはあなた以外の誰でもないよ）
In the arranged version, "except you" turned into "but you". Is there any difference between "except" and "but" in this sentence?
<27> Always choose life.
（いつでも「生きること」を選択しよう）
I took this "life" as a meaning of survive. Does the "life" has such a meaning?
<43> All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
（人生で本当に一番大切なことは、あなたが誰かを愛したかということ）
Why is it "loved" but not "love" ?
Which can I replace "in the end of the life" or "after all" instead of "in the end"?
<46> No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
（どんな気分のときでも、とにかく起き上がって、着替えて、人前に出よう）
I thought that "show up" means that "show yourself in public" Am I getting correctly what she meant?
<49> Yield.
（先を譲ること or 何かを生み出すこと？）
I can find a couple of means of "yield" in dictionary. Which do you think she meant "produce something" or "yield precedence to someone"
I'm already 35 years old. But I might be still too young to know whole things in this list.
Following part is just a copy from the original for my reference. Please ignore this part for correction.
*******************
1 Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2 When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3 Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4 Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5 Pay off your credit cards every month.
6 You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7 Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8 It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9 Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10 When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11 Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12 It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13 Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14 If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15 Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16 Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17 You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18 A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19 It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20 When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21 Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22 Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23 Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24 The most important sex organ is the brain.
25 No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26 Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27 Always choose life.
28 Forgive everyone everything.
29 What other people think of you is none of your business.
30 Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31 However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32 Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33 Believe in miracles.
34 God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35 Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36 Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37 Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38 Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39 Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40 If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41 Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42 Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43 All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44 Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45 The best is yet to come.
46 No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48 If you don't ask, you don't get.
49 Yield.
50 Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
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Thank you for your comments.
I think so too. the lessons for life seem not too hard to follow but just easy to forget.
I hope you are having a good time, too.
8. He can accept it.
10. "When it comes it" means "with regards to" or simply "regarding".
19. "Up to you" means "depends on you"
22. "Overprepare" means "prepare even if it's too much" => Right!
23. "to wear purple" simply means to wear purple clothes.
25. No.
27. Always choose life (over death). I think it means even when you are so depressed that you want to kill yourself, always choose life.
43. In the end here means the relationship is over. So even if everything is over, the important thing is that you have loved and have been loved before.
49. Yield = Compromise
Your English is fabulous!!!
Please ask if you have any queries about my explanations. I will be happy to explain as much as I can.
Thank you for answering my questions. Your comment is really helpful and I feel more confidence on my understanding now.
Can I have an extra question about #23 ?
I've sensed that "to wear purple" or "wearing purple clothes" have some special meanings in English. For example, in Japan, we celebrate turning to 60 years old by wearing red vest (it's called 還暦(かんれき)). If you could give any idea about that, I'd appreciate it.
I really don't think it is refering to any special expressions or custom. I guess people normally feel more comfortable wearing black, white or blue, so purple may be considered a loud color, especially if it is a bright shade of purple^^, thus I interprete it as just wearing purple clothes.
Hope it helps!
I'd never be able to imagine that without your explanation because I don't wear that loud purple. Thank you for your help, Mabel. I appreciate it.
I think he means A.
<8> It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
A is correct. "to take it" means to be able to accept something difficult or painful without being hurt. It's a little bit slangy, and often kids will use this phrase in the playground against weaker kids, e.g. "you can't take it!"
<10> When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
"when it comes to" means Xについて、Xに関して、Xとなると etc. It's used to give heavy emphasis to the topic of the sentence (e.g. "chocolate"). You don't use it in formal English.
<17> You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
"you can get through anything" means you can solve any problem. I don't know what "if you stay put in today" means though??
<19> It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
I think your understanding is correct. "up to (someone)" means you're relying on the action and decision of that person. E.g. "it's up to my boss whether I can take a day off work" (relying on your boss's decision). "It's up to me to fix the problem" (other people are relying on me to fix the problem).
<20> When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Your understanding is incorrect. "going after what you love in life" means "seeking things you love", "looking for things that you love". "don't take no for an answer" means you should not accept other people denying you. Or you should not accept other people saying you can't do something. In other words, when you are trying to do something you love, don't listen to people who say you can't do it.
<22> Overprepare, then go with the flow.
"overprepare" and "over prepare" are the same. I think 十分過ぎるくらい準備をして、後は流れに任せよう is correct. It means "do a lot of preparation for something, even if it's too much preparation". Then after the preparation is completed, relax and let your prior hard work take you.
<23> Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
I guess the author thinks it's a bit crazy to wear purple clothes. So his advice is to do crazy things when you're young (such as wearing purple clothes).
<25> No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Your understanding is correct. "except you" means "but you" あなた以外.
<27> Always choose life.
Not necessarily "survive". This means you should choose things that are enjoyable and positive. Don't be negative or do things that are harmful.
<43> All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
"Loved" is in the past tense because he's talking about the time at the end of your life, when you look back into your past. He's saying that when you look back the only thing that you should worry about is whether you loved (loved people, loved life etc.)
<49> Yield.
Yield means "give way". He's saying that you should let other people go before you. Yield can also mean 屈する but in this case he's just saying you should be polite.
I really appreciate that you read through this long entry and gave in-depth answers.
Although to get the native speaker's sense is still tough, I can see more meanings of "life" and "take" behind those words. I wish I can take it someday.