For crying out loud, learn how to merge! I don’t care if it’s on the interstate or in a drive-thru, learning this early in life will serve you well. If you are the one merging then you should, well, merge. You do not stop and hope somebody will allow you the honor of driving on the same road as them. At some point, you will be in a position where someone else needs to merge. Pay close attention because this is where it gets tricky. You let them merge!
What can I do to help? Whether it’s helping a sibling with a chore, a grandparent with a project, or me in the kitchen, my children are taught to always ask one question. Is someone working and your hands are idle? “What can I do to help?” Does someone look overwhelmed? “What can I do to help?” I want them to recognize a need and have a desire to be a part of the solution.
Don’t be that person. This is another one that my children hear pretty much all of the time. Apart from “love Jesus” and “always sleep in a bra during a nighttime storm in case the roof comes off your house and you have to run for your life”, the instruction they hear most is: don’t be that person. When someone is unkind, ungracious or impatient – don’t be that person. When someone is selfish, greedy or unforgiving – don’t be that person.
Never miss an opportunity to use the restroom. There really isn’t much need to expound on this one. Stopping somewhere for coffee? Use the restroom. Leaving work and heading home? Use the restroom. In a waiting room somewhere? Use the restroom. Of all the potential regrets in life, one of the worst is: I wish I had used the restroom back there. Don’t let it be your kid peeing on the side of the road during a traffic jam.
Hang out with senior adults every chance you get. Seniors have been there, done that, and already forgot about it. They’re a wealth of wisdom and encouragement. They are proof that this too really shall pass.