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!