Someone asked strangers online to share life's essential lessons. Here are the 17 best.

[1]( [Someone asked strangers online to share life's essential lessons. Here are the 17 best.]( It’s true that life never gets easier, and we only get continuously better at our lives. Childhood’s lessons are simple—this is how you color in the lines, 2 + 2 = 4, brush your teeth twice a day, etc. As we get older, [lessons]( keep coming, and though they might still remain simple in their message, truly understanding them can be difficult. Often we learn the hard way. The good news is, the “hard way” is indeed a great teacher. Learning the hard way often involves struggle, mistakes and failure. While these feelings are undeniably uncomfortable, being patient and persistent enough to move through them often leaves us not only wiser in having gained the lesson, but more confident, assured and emotionally resilient. If that’s not growth, I don’t know what is. [Reddit]( user [u/G_man252]( asked people to share their own life lessons “[learned the hard way]( and the answers, though varied, all touched on something useful that everyone can probably relate to. Especially those of us who have had the blessing of living long enough to gain a lot of hard-won knowledge. Below are 17 of the best lessons that all of us either have learned, are trying to learn or will learn soon enough. Reading them isn’t necessarily the same as experiencing them, but there is still some comfort in knowing they are all part of what it means to be human. [Read the story]( [2]( [CEO who makes over $1,000,000 a year vows only to give her kids one Christmas gift]( The CEO of Co-op, one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains has made an important statement about excess at a time when many families are struggling in the UK. [The Daily Mail]( reports that Shirine Khoury-Haq, the head of a company with [over 3900]( retail locations says she’s giving her twin, six-year-old daughters one present each[this Christmas]( she could not “in good conscience” give them more while millions of families struggle with inflation and high energy prices. Khoury-Haq makes over £1 million ($1,190,000) a year after bonuses, so she pledged to give her family's present money to those in need. “It just feels like excess, given what’s happening in the world. In good conscience, I can’t do that in my own home,” Khoury-Haq said according to [The Guardian.]( “The rest of our budget will be given to Santa to provide presents for children whose parents can’t contribute to the elves,” she continued. “We’re going to go out shopping for those other presents and [we will] send them to Santa.” [Read the story]( Did a friend forward this to you? [Subscribe here]( [3]( [Do you know a woman who needs a $1,000 financial boost?]( Archewell Foundation has partnered with VING Project, a national giving movement, to give away $1,000,000 in $1,000 grants to women in financial need. The aim of the project is to help spread the joy of giving by inviting young people to become philanthropists in their own lives. If you know know someone between the ages of 14-18, we are asking young people to help us give away the $1,000,000 by nominating a woman who is experiencing financial hardship and is in need of a boost. This project really believes in trusting young people, and giving them the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life. [Learn more on how you could make a difference!]( [4]( [Woman reunites with her family 51 years after being kidnapped]( In 1971, Melissa Highsmith was kidnapped from her home in Fort Worth, Texas. Her disappearance has been one of the oldest missing person cases in America. Now, she gets to celebrate a long-awaited reunion with her family in what she calls a “Christmas miracle.” As ABC affiliate [WFAA]( reported, Melissa’s mother, Alta (who now goes by Alta Apantenco) had put out an ad for a babysitter to watch over her then 21-month-old while she was at work. A white gloved, well-dressed woman going by the name of Ruth Johnson responded to the call, but she was no babysitter. After Johnson picked up baby Melissa from Apantenco’s roommate, the two were never seen again. As any parents would do in this situation, the Highsmiths worked tirelessly to find their little girl, involving the Fort Worth police and even the FBI. Sadly, it was all to no avail. The only glimmer of hope remaining was that there was no evidence of harm, so maybe, just maybe, their Melissa was being well taken care of. And for 51 years, the family held onto that possibility. [Read the story]( [5]( [Cuban immigrant’s reaction to getting his first American paycheck has gone viral]( An Instagram post featuring Yoel Diaz, a recent Cuban [immigrant,]( is going viral because it shows a powerful example of something many of us in America take for granted. The freedom to earn a paycheck for a day of honest labor. In the video, Diaz is ecstatic after he opens his first paycheck after getting a job as a seasonal worker for UPS. [CBS reports]( that before coming to the U.S. last year, Diaz made $12 a month as a computer science teacher in Cuba. "This is my first hourly paycheck that I feel every hour counted," [he told CBS News.]( "That every hour of work has importance in my life and that I know I can work hard for something. I can't compare that emotion with anything. Because I never had that in my country." The new job was a big change from life in Cuba where he had trouble filling his refrigerator. He told[CBS News]( that sometimes he only had two items: "Water, water, water, five, ten eggs, water." [Read the story]( Find us on the World Wide Web: [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [LinkedIn]( Copyright © 2022 GOOD | Upworthy, All rights reserved. 1370 N St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028 You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.