Confession time; I am a forgetful guy.
Now whether this is because of a few too many hits to the head or because they are really just “blonde” moments, I couldn’t tell you. It could be forgetting where I put my keys or the name of someone I just met, regardless of what it is, I usually try to have a few counter measures in place. Which makes the Reminders app on my phone my saving grace. It helps me remember what is important or pressing at the time in case I forget to look or do something.
The more I think about it though, the more I realize the app isn’t the only thing that reminds me what is important. There are also those people, or even those short little sayings in our lives that serve the same purpose. We all know the ones I am talking about, right? Like “Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses,” or “Laughter is the best medicine.” Those little clichés we have all heard.
To be honest, when I was in middle school, I used to hate hearing those clichés. They made me throw up a little bit in my mouth due to a lack of originality and the fluffy, overly-positive feeling of some of them. Seriously, they were so uncool and cringey.
Due to some interesting events in my life however, I have come to think differently. Now I like to think there are reason to why cliché sayings are cliches. That reason being because there is truth to these sayings that has allowed them to stand the test of time and to remain as popular phrases up to this day. These phrases serve as a reminder for the things we should remember, value, and act on in each of our lives. The things that we should do to truly enjoy the short time we have in our lives.
So here is our friendly reminder. Let’s use those cringey phrase to our advantage, to remind us of what is important. Stop and smell the roses. When life gives you lemons, make the best lemonade you can. Live happily ever after. We get one opportunity, one chance to live our lives to the fullest and make it count. So full steam ahead, take the bull by the horns and chose to use those cliché words to the best of our ability to make ours and other people’s lives better. Just a friendly, little reminder for us all!
Blayne Vandeveer
Northern Region Vice President