I remember by grandpa W.A. Adams giving me a bit of his wisdom. He always liked to share slogans and sayings, and had lots of them to share with others. I remember one in particular.
In his nineties, there were times that he could see that I was frustrated as a teenager-young adult. I can hear him explaining that things could be lots worse than the situation that concerned me at the time. I have often repeated it, because I believe it is a precious tidbit of his life experiences. The advice that he gave was often couched in a poetry form:
"From the day of your birth 'til you ride in a hearse, there's nothing that's happened that couldn't have been worse."
The future is for dreaming, but the present is the only time we can live in and make a difference in our attitude. I have always appreciated this phrase since grandpa shared it with me. No experience is the worst we could have, as long as we are still alive.