Five things my parents taught me

Although I’d hate more than anything to admit it fully, I’ve learned more things from my parents than I care to count. That and counting them would give them something to hold over my head forever.
Though they may not think I listen or absorb anything meaningful, ever, it all sinks in and I’ve been shaped by them more than they know. So, here are five things my parents taught me, regardless of whether or not they were planning to.
#1. Reading is cool. -- This one I owe all to Mom, who probably read to me almost every night for six years or so. We went through all of the Harry Potter series together and I wholeheartedly believe that I wouldn’t like reading half as much as I do now if we hadn’t. It’s still one of my favorite activities. If ever I want to escape the world for an hour or two, all I have to do is open a book and I’m gone.
#2. There’s never a bad time to sing an Elvis song. -- This one, if you knew my mother at all, is fairly obvious. The King never has a bad song, nor is there EVER a bad time to sing it at the top of your lungs in the car. So what exactly has this taught me? (Besides a base of Elvis knowledge known by no other 26 year old). Cherish the things that make you happy.
Maybe it’s not music that makes you happy, but my point is if it makes you smile like Elvis does for my mom, keep it close to your heart.
#3. Having a big heart isn’t a flaw -- My dad probably has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. Through the years I’ve noticed how much he smiles and I listen as he tells me how much he loves me and the world around him.
He has taught me that to have a big heart means that we take the chance (more often than others) of people taking advantage of you and taking the fall, rather hard, when something goes wrong. But that’s okay. People with big hearts love harder and put every ounce of themselves into something they care about. It means that when things go well, having a big heart lets you take in the moment for all it’s worth. You have more room in yourself to fill with good.
#4. Laughter is a life essential -- I feel like this is self-explanatory. But... if you’ve never laughed with someone, you’re missing out on a life essential.
If you don’t know that the Hawaii Five-O and JAG theme songs ALSO have dance moves, or that extreme sarcasm is a skill, than you haven’t lived correctly. The majority of all problems can be fixed with a little humor and even if it isn’t fixed the mood is lightened.
The older and busier I get, I know I’ll be faced with less and less family time. Therefore, I know that as long as I spent my time laughing (which is easy in my family) I have spent my time well.
#5. Hide the brownies -- No. 5 has multiple meanings and I apologize, but not one of those meanings is a substantially deep one. A long time ago my step-sister and I made brownies for someone’s birthday and made the mistake of leaving them unattended. They were never the same again. Frank the pug decided he deserved a taste before everyone else.
I guess you could say that, in a cheesy way, you should take “hide the brownies” to mean “hide some of the good things for yourself.”
Everyone deserves to indulge in me-time or me-brownies. I’d almost prefer the second.
CHEYENNE ROWE can be reached at newsregister@ hamilton.net