Every year, Karlie Kloss releases a YouTube video where she recaps things that she has learned on her birthday. I LOVE these lists, so I thought that I would take a stab at it. Here are 29 things that I have learned in 29 years:
- If you are going to bet on something, bet on yourself.
- A house is not a home without a dog.
- Getting married young shouldn’t be weird. When you know, you know. Love and life happen when they are going to happen.
- Childless by choice is a CHOICE. Your uterus, your choice. When (if ever) you are ready, you will know.
- Don’t tease children about their weight. Ever.
- If you have vacation time, use it.
- School is never going to come at a convenient time. If you have a dream that requires a degree, just pull the Band-Aid and do it. Pain is temporary, GPA is forever.
- It’s ok to say goodbye to friendships and relationships that carried you through a season but don’t have a place in your current season.
- There is nothing that man can take that God cannot restore in measure.
- Get a job with benefits.
- It is ok to be smart! It is ok to have a weirdly specific memory. Don’t be ashamed of the mind God gave you.
- Be grateful for parents that check up on you, even if it feels like too much.
- Make good friends. Friends that you can laugh with, cry with, friends who are with you through thick and thin. And, if you are ever so lucky, make one friend that you love like a sibling (this one is for you, Cristina).
- It is ok to get excited about things and to be passionate about things! (I passionately follow elite gymnastics and men’s figure skating and I don’t care who knows!)
- Take a year and make it your “year of, yes!”. My year of “yes” was the best year of my life. Was I exhausted? Obviously. Do I regret anything? Never.
- Get loud in church. It is ok to stand, clap, and shout in church. I love God and I don’t care who knows it!
- Have a diverse group of friends – open your world to new people and a new world will open to you.
- Read, read a lot. Listen to the radio, podcasts. Learn! Learn everything you can about everything! The world is an amazing place, full of amazing people. Learn more about it.
- Be open to hearing about experiences that challenge your way of thinking. You don’t have it all figured out.
- Be coachable and teachable. When someone corrects you, hear them out. There is truth in criticism.
- It is ok to love to plan trips to the minutia. Just be open to change when plans change (still learning this one).
- Your love of ketchup isn’t weird. People are weird.
- Coffee is a food group (if you know what you are doing).
- Life isn’t just about you. Sometimes, your purpose is to walk along someone during a difficult season in their life.
- Empathy is a beautiful trait, just don’t let empathy for others kill your joy.
- Blast the radio in your car to moody acoustic indie music if that’s what makes you happy. Who are you trying to impress?
- Learn and master as many languages as you can! (thinking of learning how to code this year)
- It’s ok to have a lame-weird hobby (or a hobby that others wouldn’t consider a hobby). Crafting is a perfectly acceptable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
- Trust God’s timing. A “no” is an answer to prayer too.
Welp, that does it. 29 things I have learned in 29 years.
The Lady Esquire 