Wise Words From Readers: On sibling advice…

Oh, siblings! What an interesting role they play in our lives. No matter your place in your family, what your childhood vacations were like, who’s smarter or more sensitive, there’s no denying the stamp your siblings leave on you. You might fight, say some not-so-nice words or even vow that you’re never, ever going to speak to them ever again, but deep down, you know that vow of silence won’t last long. And it doesn’t. Because even when we don’t want to admit it, we know we need our siblings close by. They’re always primed and ready with a good dose of advice, too, as you all shared this week…

*The BEST advice I ever got from a sibling is “always be yourself” — so simple, but so important to remember in life — not only when you are young, but through the decades.

*Sell the big house. It will become an albatross.

*Advice on the best stereo components under $200 in 1979.

*Your life mate should be someone you can imagine yourself sitting on a front porch with when you are 85 years old.

*Go tell Mom…she’s calling you!

What wonderful advice! Even though Janelle is the younger sister, I’ve always felt like she was the older one in a lot of ways. She’s so much smarter than I could ever hope to be, and she’s taught me so much about being a compassionate person — especially during all my childhood surgeries. It’s most definitely safe to say that I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for her shining example in my life. I hope she knows what a positive impact she’s had on me. Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

Do you have a pet? What’s your favorite memory with them?

Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: On personality traits…

Remember when you were a kid and it was so easy to name your best personality trait? It was as easy as rattling off your favorite food or your favorite color. Maybe you loved how you always gave great advice to your friends or the fact that you were always the peacemaker. Or maybe you were proud of the fact that you never gave up.

But somewhere along the way, we seem to lose that wonder and introspective knowledge about ourselves. At the very least, we have a pretty hard time nailing down what exactly we like about our own personality. Sure, it’s so easy to see everyone else’s good qualities, but yours just seemed to be hiding, refusing to come out. So, I was so glad this week when some of you weren’t shy about singing your own praises…

*I have a sense of humor that I don’t always get, but hey if it makes people laugh I’m fine with it! We all need cheering up.

*Kindness. It has seen me through some tough situations!

How true! I was thinking about my own personality recently and am pretty darn proud of my fearlessness. It’s had it’s up and down, especially since my father died, but I feel like now, it’s on a permanent upswing. Being fearless gives you this sense of strength even if you’re completely terrified. That’s a comforting notion, isn’t it, friends? Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

What the best advice you’ve ever received from a sibling? Why did it mean so much to you?



Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)


[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: On time travel…

I used to watch Back To The Future over and over as a kid. I was completely fascinated with time travel — the idea that there’s some other alternate universe out there is just plain wild. My. Mind. Is. Blown. And thinking about where you’d go if you could steal Doc and Marty’s DeLorean? You all weren’t the least bit shy about sharing your top time travel picks (try saying that 10 times fast!)…

*Since I love the concept of time travel, I would go back to Galena, Illinois, around 1910-1915 to see my grandparents as kids and see what life was like on Main Street.

*I’d like to lay on a ridge and watch the dinosaurs. Then come back!

*I like to go back in time to see Brian [Melissa’s father] one more time and tell him he was the best friend I ever had.

*And a joke from my Uncle Bill: Comedian Steven Wright: I went to a diner that served breakfast at anytime, so I ordered waffles in the Middle Ages.

I love the variety of these answers! I have no idea what time period I’d visit. I was pretty obsessed with Ancient Egypt in sixth grade, so it might be fun to see the Great Pyramids being built. But then again, the pop culture lover in me would love to get dressed up in a fancy poodle skirt and dance the night away at a classic ’50s sock hop — anyone up for doing the twist? Ahhh, the possibilities just seem endless, don’t they? Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

What would you say is your best quality and why?


Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: On family…

Oh, family! Such an amazing force. They’re there when you need them — and sometimes, when you just want to be alone. They’re the people you can always count on to come through for you when it matters most. And when you think about it, family is no longer just defined by blood. A family is literally what you make it — your friends, your partner, your coworkers, even your book club. And when it comes to the power of family, you gave them pretty rave reviews, friends…

*What I love about my family is that they accept me for who I am.

*Hmm. I love that even if my family and I aren’t on the best terms, we’re still FAMILY and we can count on each other. Of course, since getting married, I have a whole new family. So it’ll be interesting to see where they fit in…

*What I love most about my family is we can be totally ourselves — watch funny shows on TV, reminisce, etc. My family was over the other day, and there was a thunderstorm. Our terrier is 14 and terrified of storms. The entire family who was here piled in to the “safe room” — no windows in basement to muffle thunder noise — and we sat with George. Luckily, we had a TV in the safe room to keep us distracted until the storm passed and our sweet pup was distracted because there were so many people in a small room! Haha

Now that is what family is all about! I know I’ve already said it 5558524856 times and I sometimes worry I sound like a broken record, but I don’t know how I would have made it through the last decade without my family. They’ve been my rock, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to surround myself with! Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

If you could go back in time to any time period, where would you go and why?

Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Wise Words From Readers: On overcoming fear…

Fear. Four letters. A million different meanings. It can motivate us and it can render us paralyzed with, well, fear. It’s one of those emotionally charged words that never fails to move us in some way — at least that’s how it is for me. And it looks like you agreed with me, friends, and weren’t shy about sharing your biggest fear…

*I fear hurting people. I have certainly not overcome that fear.

*My greatest fear is not living an authentic life and not being true to myself. It’s terrifying and really hard…but so worth it.

Not being true to myself is something I do worry about — sometimes more than others — and I think it’s helpful to make a point to “check in” with yourself every now and then. And of course, I fear losing those closest to me. I don’t like to admit it, but I do worry about it every single day. I’ve learned over the years that that sort of fear is just a side effect of losing a loved one to suicide and it’s something you have to learn to live with and integrate into your everyday life. If anything, I think this fear has pushed me to never take my family for granted and cherish the moments we spend together. And with that idea in mind, here’s next week’s question…

What do you love most about your family and why?

Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! :)


[Photos via We Heart It]