What did you learn in 2008?

According to Saturday's poll results in The Herald News, a lot of you didn't make resolutions for 2009. Kudos to you.
I think 2008 taught us enough painful lessons that we don't need to further torture ourselves over that last five pounds.
It was a doozy of a year for my family. So far, 2009 seems a bit brighter, but that doesn't mean I'll forget the lessons that 2008 reinforced, no matter how trite.
So tell me, what did you learn in 2008? Comment below. I hope it's happy or has a green twist. If not, I understand -- it was that kind of year.
2008 reminded me:

1. There's no place like home. I didn't lose my house in 2008, thank god. It's a good place to be, whether I'm crying or laughing. That's true of our planet, too. If you think we're going to swoop in with a new home, like a spaceship or undersea domes, don't be too sure. Dorothy's right; there's not place like home and we should protect it.


2. "At least you've got your health" actually means something. It was a year of cancer, aneurysms and other things we can't even pronounce. When your family is healthy, it's easy to take if for granted. When they're not, you realize how much health really means. Ditto for the environment. The ocean will always be something we can swim in, right? There will always be drinkable water, surely. There will always be polar bears, not just in zoos, won't there? Maybe not. If we take these things for granted, we're going to have a harder fall when they're gone, and it's going to happen sooner.


3. Money isn't everything. There's health, happiness, home and family. My mom reminded me when I met that man I was going to marry that some people have millions of dollars but go their whole lives without ever really being in love. You can do a lot with love, more than with money. I wish the green movement would take that to heart. Some folks have moved away from saving stuff we love, preferring to hawk expensive goods that claim to be green. Don't worry about the owls or the water, but this $50,000 counter that involves some recycled glass. Ditch the counter. Cut back on the water and do what you can for the owls.


4. There's no such thing as credit that doesn't come due. That's the economic crisis in a nutshell, huh? If you can't pay for the pizza today, don't put it on the credit card. If you can't afford a down payment today, you probably shouldn't be buying a house. The chickens will come home to roost. That's what's happening with the environment. We're consuming and polluting, assuming we can save it all later, when it's more convenient. What makes us think it won't be too late, that we won't be in over our heads. No one is coming to bail out the residents of a polluted, abused planet. Act like you're the one who has to pay the bill when it arrives.