Of a certain age...

My oldest grandson, who will turn 16 in a few weeks, drove me and his mother/my daughter to a DMV last week so he could take his driver's test (He passed!).

I can't believe a grandchild of mine is turning 16! Pretty soon he'll be off to college, getting married, and I'll be cuddling my first great-grandchild. Great-grandchild! Wow! The seventh generation of people I've been with during parts of my life, having known three of my great-grandparents who lived into their 90s.

Hopefully over my 70-plus years, I've gained some wisdom I can pass down to this younger generation to help them simplify their lives, save them some money, boost their health and help the planet. Here's my Top Ten List of Habits You Should Pickup from Your Grandmother:

1. Make lists. Depending on how busy you are, keep a daily, weekly or monthly TO-DO LIST. Print it out, check completed items off, revise as needed. Use Post-it notes on your computer screen, bathroom mirror, refrigerator, front door, car dashboard, cell phone as reminders you can't miss. Keep a calendar on your computer and phone. Make a list of your passwords (keep on desktop and print out hardcopy to include with important papers).

2. Take a walk every day. The exercise is good for your muscles, good for your heart, your lungs, your circulation, your digestion. It's good for your mind, to clear your head, to expand your awareness, become one with nature. The color sky-blue lifts our spirits. The sunshine fills us with vitamin D. Wear a hat, use sunscreen. If you can't walk outside, walk inside. Do tai chi, qigong, yoga.

3. Cook from scratch, eat less meat, cut out white sugar and flour, stay away from processed foods, cut out junk foods and fast foods, support your local farmers, grow a garden, donate to local food banks, create a family cookbook, teach your children and grandchildren how to cook, have meals with your family.

4. Meditate every day. This doesn't mean you have to twist into lotus posture and sit for hours trying to achieve enlightenment. Just sit quietly and focus on one thing, one word or sound. Put on headphones and listen to soft, peaceful music. Stare off into the night sky or the flames in the fireplace or a candle. Allow your thoughts to drift without paying attention to them. Draw a picture. Knit a scarf. Read a book. Walk around a labyrinth very slowly, take time to observe every rock, every plant, every insect. Listen to the birds. Breathe. All of that is meditation to allow a few minutes of peace of mind into your busy life.

5. Pay it forward. Be kind and compassionate. Express gratitude. Practice forgiveness. Get involved. Donate your time and energy and ideas to help others, support a cause. Encourage young people to think positively by being a positive role model. Lift others up.

6. Save energy and water whenever you can. Be mindful of what's happening to the planet by over-consumption, waste, plastic, neglect, short-sightedness and greed. Learn from the mistakes of the past and don't repeat them.

7. Use more natural products for cleaning your house and your body. Stop pouring corrosive products down the drain and into the water supply. Before we had all these super cleaning products, our grandmothers used vinegar, baking soda, salt and lemon, and if a child accidentally got some in her mouth, you didn't have to call the poison control hotline. Go online and search "how to clean with vinegar or lemons" and get creative. Compost your trash. Become more environmentally conscious, save the planet.

8. Don't just buy more new stuff so you need more places to store your old stuff. Make money that works for you instead of you working for it. Don't be a slave to the status quo. Know when to hold 'em, know when to walk away.

9. Have a plan. Your ship can't come in if it hasn't set sail. Short-term, long-term, for today or the next 10 years. Learn from what your parents' generation went through during their lives, what your grandparents and those before them went through as their lives unfolded. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Learn to solve problems peacefully. Don't go to bed angry. Imagine peace.

10. Realize that we are all one. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them. What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. None of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.