Happy Everyday

Yesterday was my birthday, the day that marks another year passing and makes me think of what I have done and hope to still do in this lifetime. I am not oblivious to the fact that I am closer to 50 now than to 40, or that I have reached something that must be nearly the halfway point of my life. Sometimes, I can feel a little confused and disappointed by this. On the other hand, there are also great benefits to aging. For example, the things that threw me into great despair at 20 years old, aren’t even close to making the cut, these days, and I am amazed at all of the opportunities I’ve been given to learn something that actually makes every day a little bit easier. I’m sure I must have thousands of bits of wisdom tucked away in some corner of my mind, just waiting for me need them. Here are the top 10 that I can recall without much provocation:

10.          Egg slicers do not work on onions.

9.            On any day that it really matters, take an extra pair of panty hose with you, because you WILL get a run.

8.            There are no days when “it really matters” if you get a run.

7.            Cheap, aerosol hairspray gets ink out of fabric.

6.            If you loan someone money and you never see them again, it’s money well spent. 
(On the other hand: Gel eyelashes cost $200, last only two weeks, and don’t look any different than wet eyelashes.)

5.            Hearts that don’t break because you hide them are no less lonely than broken ones, but they get cheated of all the fun beforehand.   
          
4.            The appropriate response to the oil light illuminating the dashboard of your car is not, “Oh, look at that cute little Jeanie lamp!”

3.            Almost nothing is so bad that a nap can’t help to fix it.

2.            We all have friends and advocates we don’t even know we have, and they are probably saying something nice about us, even right now.

And the number one thing getting older has taught me:

1.            You will be disappointed that you are not further ahead until you realize that neither are you further behind.

Cheers to living our lives for the very purpose of loving with reckless abandon, learning with an unquenchable thirst, and seeking to experience every emotion and possibility our particular paths provide.

Happy Everyday, everyone!

The List

MSN.com is really stepping it up. I like that they aren’t all bad news. This week, they decided to post a “Build Your Own Bucket List,” link. Sure I have a list. But I was mighty curious to see what their prescription for me was going to be, since I can always use a little more inspiration, and they have some pretty great ideas. (http://living.msn.com/life-inspired/life-unleashed/20-things-everyone-should-do-at-least-once#1)

How many of the things on the list have you already done?

How many of them would have made it on your Bucket List, if you would have thought of it?

This is an exercise really worth doing. If you haven’t already made your list of 20 things you’d most like to experience in this lifetime, it’s time to make it. And if you have made one, it’s time to cross of what you’ve done, give yourself credit, and add more to complete the list, again, because it’s very important to have something you can put into your own hands, periodically, to remind you of your own passions.

Remember how I said last week that I had accidentally fallen into a routine, and scarcely given thought to the things that most excite me? And I was paying the price, too. I wasn’t particularly happy, even though I wasn’t sad, either. And I wasn’t feeling like I could even write about living joyfully, because I wasn’t having much fun. What cured me? My list.

When you have a list, you can see where you are going. Your work that may seem mundane, now, will suddenly have a purpose! Your relationship that may have drifted toward distant will come alive, again! Your list will help you find your enthusiasm, and through enthusiastic eyes, everything looks new and attainable.

Lynn Grabhorn talks about the Law of Attraction and how a person in touch with his own excitement will feel like he is virtually vibrating. She says that is when good things start to happen: coincidences will place the people you most need right into your path, timing falls into perfect step with you, and ideas seem to pour into your brain as if from a wide-open spigot. It’s a bit like prayer and faith. Formulate the idea, then start getting excited about it, because it’s going to happen.

So, how do you get to vibrating? How do you get in touch with your own excitement? You think about which of these incredible gifts on this amazing playground of a planet you’d most like to experience. Suddenly, like a giddy child waiting for Christmas, you’ll find your own delight!

How about it? Ready to make a list? Let’s start with the one MSN made. I’m going to add to it, “Take the train tour through Alaska.” (http://www.princesslodges.com/alaska-rail-tours.cfm)

What would you like to add?