I turned 35 on Saturday. This birthday has been bugging me all year. I don’t remember having a problem with my 30th birthday, but for some reason, adding that “5” after the “3” is messing with my head. I feel like I’m supposed to be old now. Or wise. Or accomplished. I don’t feel any of those things. But I’ve learned some important things in life. Here’s a list of 35 of them, in no particular order. (I was inspired by this post earlier this year.)
- Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. And sometimes there’s no good explanation.
- Even if you’re almost 30 and married to your best friend, motherhood will still scare the crap out of you. (And by “you” I mean “me.”)
- I don’t have to like or believe all the same things as my friends to still be friends.
- It’s better to hear the truth than believe a lie.
- You can do everything right and follow all the rules and still be wrong.
- Housework is an inescapable necessity, and it improves my mood.
- I didn’t know how selfish I was until I got married and had children.
- God will make you eat your words when you tell Him something is impossible.
- Conflict is unavoidable. And sometimes it’s healthy. And helpful.
- Control is an illusion. Just when I think I have something “under control,” my son rolls around in the aisle at church or my daughter throws a doll across the room when I ask her to put her pajamas on.
His Easter finest
- Apathy is just as (and maybe more) dangerous as hate.
- I can’t save the world, but I can make better choices that have an impact on the world and the people who live in it.
- Life moves fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. (Okay, I stole that one from Ferris Bueller. Still …)
- I’ll do just about anything for a full night of sleep. (Especially after having kids.)
- Just because I think I have something to say doesn’t mean I should say it.
- One toilet for four people is not enough, especially if two of those people are recently potty-trained. Inevitably, they have to go potty at the EXACT SAME TIME and RIGHT NOW. Same holds true if anyone else dares to enter the bathroom to do “business.”
- Life is always a good choice. Not just when it comes to the unborn.
- The number of laundry baskets in your house should match the number of people in your house.
- It’s better to ask a question, even if I think it makes me look stupid, than to assume I know something.
- An introvert (I am one) needs extroverts for friends. I am blessed to have several who push me out of my introverted tendencies (in a good way).
- Failing at something doesn’t make me a failure.
- I still blush when I talk to the opposite sex, even if they’re teenage boys. And I fear I might become one of those old ladies who flirts with guys of all ages just to be embarrassing.
- When you set out to write a list of 35 things you’ve learned in your lifetime, the list starts to read like a confessional.
- Drinking coffee with my dad and talking to my mom while we wash dishes or take a walk are two of my favorite activities. (And I don’t do either nearly enough because of an 800-mile separation.)
- I’m more task-oriented than people-oriented and learning to love people when they get “in the way” of my tasks is hard.
- I’m likely to say something awkward when making small-talk because I think better with written words than spoken ones.
- I’d rather take a risk and fail than not try at all.
- What I think we needed for marriage (the stuff we registered for) is not what we really needed. My registry list would look completely different now after six years of marriage.
- I am a writer. (Profound, right?) And no amount (big or small) of money, publication credits or blog followers will change that. It’s part of who I am. And it’s what I was made to do.
- Whining and giving constructive criticism are not the same. I have a low tolerance for the former, which accomplished almost nothing, and a growing tolerance for the latter, which can make a difference for the better. And I appreciate even more those teachers from grade school who had a “no whining” policy in their classrooms. (P.S. If you’re an adult, I tolerate your whining even less than I do my children’s.)
- Cooking a turkey is not as scary as I once thought it would be. I am now comfortable with all aspects of preparing and cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving or other meals. Ditto for a whole chicken. I have not, however, attempted to cook a live lobster or prepare anything that still has a head (fish, crawfish, etc.). Something to shoot for in the next 35 years.
- It’s okay to cry. But I’ll still probably apologize for doing it, even it’s an appropriate response.
- I take life and myself too seriously, but I love laugh-till-you-cry moments.
- I love my husband more now than I did when we first started dating, and I can’t imagine how my love will deepen and change in the coming years.
- I am an unfinished work.
