A photo posted by Elephant Journal (@elephantjournal) on Sep 16, 2016 at 2:10am PDT

We all learn things from the people around us.

Those people may be family, friends, coworkers or mentors that we haven’t even met that we learn from in online classes or in books. We even learn from movies we watch and by just observing others in our day to day lives. However, we don’t always admit that we learn things, because we may not want to admit that someone got something through to us.

When I was younger, I learned a lot from my family. I learned how to fish, I learned how to cook, and I learned how to speak my mind. I also learned how to support others, and I learned to develop a strong work ethic.

I didn’t always want to admit, though, that some of the teachings really got under my skin and sunk in. I was too proud and too stubborn to admit when someone else was right. Apologizing when I was wrong was one of the hardest things I had to do.

I see this in my own kids now. We sit and have meaningful conversations, and I teach them the things I have learned along the way. It sinks in, and I see it in their actions, but they don’t always admit that it gets under their skin.

I am fortunate to have my grandma still in my life. She is 92 years old now, and I love the time that I spend with her. Every day I learn something new from her, and I notice in my day to day life that I often do things the way she always has.

I get to give back to her, the love and care that she gave to me all these years, in a different way. I now am the one to cook for her at times, clean up and do laundry, mow the lawn and pull the weeds. I am fortunate to be able to take her out on trips to the store, or to lunch, or to the park. All the things that she used to do for me, I can now do for her. Even the things that are not so fun—things I know she didn’t look forward to when I was young either, but she still did with love.

We should all look at life as an amazing journey we are on together. Take the time to look around, and take in what is surrounding us. We should not always rush through life, but realize that we control our destiny, and that life doesn’t control us.

We all need to take the time to spend with family and friends that we love. We need to make amends and apologize when necessary for wrongs we have done to others, but only if we are truly sorry.

We all need to work together, care for our older generations, and offer help to those people that have helped us all our lives. Listen to the stories, no matter how many times we have heard them. Clean up the accidents with love, not frustration. Bandage wounds with care, not haste. Overall, spend our precious time together in the most loving and supportive ways we can.

We also need to take time for ourselves. Whether that is a few minutes a day or more, we all need to understand the value of self love. It is not selfish to care for ourselves, it is a necessity. Spend time doing something you love each day. Take up a new hobby or learn a new skill—whatever makes your heart leap with joy and makes time pass quickly because you are loving it so much.

Life is an amazing journey, full of twists and turns. We don’t always have the answers, but I guarantee that if you spend the time learning from others, you will find the answers that are hiding from you. So enjoy life and make it amazing.

~

Author: Erin Alli 

Image: Instagram @elephantjournal 

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina