Life Explained

I suppose the old adage, "It's never too late" really is true, but do you ever wonder why lessons come so "late" in life?  Something happens and you think, "Hmm...wish I had known this, heard that, thought about this etc. back when I blah blah blah."  This sort of thing happens to me all of the time. Is it a "late thirties" thing (ok almost 40)?  Here are some of the things I wish I knew back when...

-Sometimes you think you know exactly where your life is headed.  Sometimes you are right.  I would venture to say most of the time you are not.  And that's ok.  Sometimes the path is clear.  Sometimes there are obstacles.  Sometimes there are forks.  Sometimes you have to forge through the forest.  There might be people on your path for some of the time.  They may go astray.  That is ok too.  If they are meant to walk with you they will.  There might be some parts of in the journey in which you feel completely alone.  Maybe you are.  Just keep moving.  Many times, your final destination changes.  Different paths emerge.  Obstacles force you to take a new road.  Just let it happen.  Ultimately you will get to where you need to be, where you are supposed to be.

-"People will hate you, shake you, rate you and break you, but how strong you stand will make you." No one knows you like you know you.  In the end that is all that matters.  Know yourself and love what you know.  If you don't love what you know, work harder than ever to change it so you do. It will be hard but it will be worth it.  Trust me on this one.

-In every situation GO WITH YOUR GUT.  Yes, I am "yelling" that one.  It's probably the most important thing I will say in this whole entry.  Trust yourself.  Don't let anyone make you second guess yourself.  Just do it.

-Sometimes it just feels "right" to eat a bag of chips.  Like a whole bag.  With french onion dip.  Yeah, maybe you need to lose 50 pounds and maybe the greasy mess will do nothing for your complexion but trust me when I say one bag of chips is not going to kill you.   Every once in a while just splurge.  And I am not saying that I am doing that right now or anything.  Ok maybe I am (minus the french onion dip dammit) but you know what, I refuse to worry about it.

- Don't let anyone dull your sparkle!  This quote explains:  "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."  ~Marianne Williamson~

-Forget about all of the reasons it won't work and focus on the one reason it will.  Just be positive.  Think positive.  Change your self talk from I can't, to I can.  

-Coffee is life.  Up there on the same level of importance as oxygen.  Functioning without it may actually be possible but not recommended.

-Every once in a while, Mom did have a good idea.  

-When you have kids you will wish you could teach them all of these life lessons (and then some) now. You will to some degree try.  They won't listen (or at least you won't think they are).  Then someday, perhaps when they too are in their late 30's they will come to some of these realizations (as well as some of there own).  "You have to hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain, because most of life's lessons are best learned in pain."