10 Commandments That Stood Time`s Test
September 03, 1988|By Ann Landers.

Dear Ann Landers: In a few months Elodie Armstrong will be 90 years old. Forty years ago she was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis. Soon after, she wrote her personal commandments. Our local paper printed them on two occasions, and we are in the third printing for friends and acquaintances who would like a copy.

Elodie is a special lady, full of fun, spirituality and faith. She is an inspiration to all who know her. I would like to share her personal commandments with you in the hope that you will print them.

Marge Wisner (her daughter), Longview, Wash.
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My Ten Commandments/Elodie Armstrong

Thou shalt not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

Thou shalt not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Thou shalt not cross bridges before you get to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

Thou shalt face each problem as it comes. You can handle only one at a time anyway.

Thou shalt not take problems to bed with you for they make very poor bedfellows.

Thou shalt not borrow other people`s problems. They can take better care of them than you can.

Thou shalt not try to relive yesterday for good or ill-it is gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life today.

Thou shalt count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

Thou shalt be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It`s very hard to learn something new when you`re talking.

Thou shalt not become bogged down by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity, and it will only interfere with positive action.

Elodie Armstrong

Dear Elodie Armstrong: What a splendid philosophy! Your positive approach has kept you young at 90. You are a terrific role model for the world`s pessimists. They would do well to imitate your can-do spirit. Full speed ahead, dear lady!(from Internet)

Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer in 1955.[1] For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Due to this popularity, "Ann Landers," though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon.(From Internet)