I am just days away from celebrating 44 trips around the Sun, and with that type of mileage on this Earth, it is customary that I recap the lessons I have learned and the ideas I hold to be true.
These are the types of things I wish my 15-year-old, or 25-year-old, or even 35-year-old self had known. And just think – I have so many more lessons to go!
At 43 years and 361 days, here is what I know for certain:
- Love. F. Scott Fitzgerald said it best: “There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.” This I know to be true. I found a new love, a constant love, the most mature love you can find. It fits. And I am better for it.
- Under The Tuscan Sun had it right with the following lines: “They say they built the train tracks over the Alps before there was a train that could make the trip. They built it anyway. They knew one day the train would come. Any arbitrary turning along the way,and I would be elsewhere. I would be different. What are four walls, anyway? They are what they contain.The house protects the dreamer.Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game.”
- Don’t over spend. Pay your bills on time. This will protect you from a million woes and stress.
- Drink lots and lots and lots of water. Don’t smoke. Ever. Wear sun screen, and give yourself a facial at least once a week. Cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize. And you, too, can look a lot younger than what you are. (I’m living proof.)
- Let it go or be dragged. The ONLY way to emotional freedom is to truly forgive and move on. Believe me when I say this. There is so much healing in forgiving and moving on.
- Gratitude is the secret to happiness. Look around at everything you have, every opportunity you have been afforded (the good with the bad,) and be grateful. THESE are your blessings.
- Reading is the great escape. If you don’t read good books, you have no advantage over the person who doesn’t read at all. Consume information like you would a bowl of ice cream.
- When you get a chance to try something new, hear an opposing idea, or go someplace you’ve never been – just be in the moment. You will gain a new perspective. You don’t have to agree or change how you live – but seek to understand. That brings incredible peace to your life.
- I try to laugh as much as possible. Try it. It makes life so much more delicious.
- Finally, set some goals. When we have goals, it gives us something to look forward to. I call that hope. Hope is what gets us up in the morning
Destination Unknown 