Lessons Learned at 31

My 31st birthday was yesterday.  Here is what I've learned to date:

1)  At this point getting older is not so bad.  I realize I'm not a 21 year old hottie anymore (not that i ever was really) but there are advantages to age.  I am learning to accept who I am and try to make that person better each day.

2)  You should never underestimate the love you get from an animal.  Sure we are probably selfish to some extent for domesticating creatures, but when I walk in the door and see two wagging tails my mood is instantly transformed.  Nothing can actually be that bad.

3) Friends come and go.  Some you have for a lifetime and some are fair weather.  Often those people you think are good friends are not and you have to learn that lesson the hard way. Friendship is not a one way street.  Put forth the effort and be thankful for the beautiful people who return it.

4) Family is precious.  My dad makes me crazy.  He can't hear, he doesn't take care of himself and he is super critical, yet he is one of the best men I know and did the best job possible raising a daughter on his own.  Same goes for my grandparents; they are good people who have spent their lives trying to be good citizens of the world and good grandparents to my brother and I.  My grandmother is one of the strongest people I know and I hope to have that kind of influence on my family one day. 

5)  Laugh as much as you can.  It feels good.

6) You can't help who you love. I have tried before to love someone who was not for me and it didn't work.  People love who they love - regardless of who their friends or family like or prefer.  People should be with the person who makes them smile every day.  I'm with someone who makes me laugh even when I'm furious.  I try to be mad at him but he makes me laugh so hard I have to walk away to maintain my anger.  In the end he wins because smiling, laughing at him or at myself, is what keeps me sane in this crazy world.

7) No matter how old I get, I will continue to miss my mom.  Its been 21 years, yet everyday, I wish she were here.

8) You are never too old to learn something new.  This year, I have learned (almost accidentally) to grow herbs and peppers.  I also learned how to pickle.  I've traveled around the world but it doesn't take world travel to learn new things.  You can learn valuable lessons from the best place - your own back yard.  Just like Dorothy. 

9)  Just because things didn't work out like you planned doesn't mean they haven't worked out. 

10) What we do here on earth matters. 

11) You can't have negative people in your life if you want to be happy.  Some people serve no other purpose except to transfer negative energy onto other people.  I have learned not to question why but instead to just accept and keep my distance from these types. 

12) Part of me still subscribes to the theory "I can sleep when I die" - the other part of me wants more rest. I'm working on a happy medium.

13) I have not found my lifelong career.  I like my job OK but there are a lot of other things I want to do.

14) I need to get more exercise and drink less.  These are just facts if I want to live a healthy life.

15) Be thankful everyday. I have been very fortunate to have a lot of good things happen to me and I feel that the best is yet to come. 

I realize that someday (which will feel not so much like someday but more like it just happened) I will wake up and be much older than I am now.  I will wonder where the time has gone.  I will have lost and gained friends.  I will have (hopefully) had a family of my own.  I will marvel at new found technology.  I will be nostalgic for things like stamps and thank you cards.  I will still miss my mother.  I will have new pets that are not quite as good as the ones I have now.  I will wish for the youth of 31.  But my hope is that, at whatever age I find myself, I will always be able to find enough joy to laugh, to forgive and to love and appreciate those around me.