This weekend, my grandma turned 77 years old. As a wise and learned woman, retired nurse, faithful friend, wife of 54 years, mother of two, and grandmother of five, I asked her what important life lessons she has learned and would like to pass on. The following is a list intertwined with things I have learned from her and the advice she gave me:

1. “It’s not so much fine dining as who you’re with.”

You can do a lot of different things in life, but it’s who you share those moments with that will make all the difference.

2. Grey hair is becoming.

My grandma is one of the most beautiful people, I believe, who has ever walked the earth. People don’t ever have to earn her kindness, for she she gives it generously and unceasingly. When asked what her name is, she replies, “Jane, plain Jane,” with a smile, of course. Her hallmark is her jeans and her kindness. While there are ten bad things happening in the world, she is making a corner of it beautiful with a hundred acts of love. And, oh yes, she happens to have grey hair that looks beautiful on her as she is doing all this.

3. “Working hard at something brings inner satisfaction that nobody can take away from you.”

My grandma has taught me that hard work can heal a person in places they didn’t even know they needed it. When you put all your energy into one thing, sometimes a problem or relationship will seem much more clear.

4. “Better safe than sorry.”

She has said this since I was young and I understand what she means by it, but I also find it completely ironic because she loves so unconditionally; and to love is surely one of the most dangerous endeavors a person can take on. From biological psychology, I learned that our DNA strands have something called “telomeres” on the ends of them which act as a sort of binding agent to keep the strands together. When a person is under severe stress for extended amounts of time, these telomeres can shorten and eventually break away, causing a split at the end of your DNA strands. This can cause many problems, but what I learned is through kindness and compassion, you can regrow your telomeres until your DNA strands are as whole as before. My grandma is living proof of such a miracle and shows me everyday that both long walks and compassion are underrated, but both are essential for the health of your soul.

5. “With age, there are parts of life you'd like to do over.”

She said she wishes when she was younger that she hadn’t been so worried about making Christmas perfect, but had just stood back and taken it all in. I have learned from her that to take yourself too seriously is to waste precious moments that you could be enjoying.

6. “It really doesn’t matter as much what others think of you; it’s what you think about yourself inside.”

She has taught me that strength does not lie in loudness or how well you do something. Humility, quietude, and how well you try are all virtues that build a strong person.

7. Lastly, there are not many things that cannot be fixed by chocolate and a diet coke.

My grandma has taught me that you can never have too much chocolate and it is possible for something as simple as a diet coke to make someone’s day. Life is short; eat dessert first.