It isn’t every day that we get asked for advice, is it? A couple of months ago, I received a request from a parent of a young friend who was graduating high school here. He asked us to send a card to his daughter containing some sort of memory or bit of wisdom or advice. A dream come true!

I finally wrote that card this week, and what came out were two — and then four — of my favorite sayings/proverbs. Here’s what I shared:

1. “A stitch in time saves nine” — meaning that if you mend a small tear/problem/misunderstanding right away, it is less likely to become a major issue/hole requiring more time and energy to mend/fix. Related saying: “Eat the frog.” There’s a book that suggests identifying the most difficult thing you need to do in a day and doing that first. Once you’ve “eaten the frog,” everything else is easy-peasy!
2. “Slow and steady wins the race.” To me, this saying is less about winning than about living. There is often pressure to make decisions quickly — choose a school/major/job/spouse/car/etc. — but I’ve never made a mistake by slowing things down. Related saying, which my Granddad used to share: “When everyone else is running, walk. When everyone else is walking, run.”

It never fails to amaze me how much we learn about ourselves and our world when we put pen to paper. I thought I had two old saws to offer, but they naturally doubled into four. When I have time, I’d like to go back and explore more deeply why these sayings resonate with me, because they are my go-tos for a reason.

So here’s today’s writing prompt: What is your favorite saying? Why?

I’d love to hear what you come up with!