Part III

 21.  Scrub all the floors at least twice each year.  And I mean really scrub them, with a new brush and down on your hands and knees.  

22.  Never go more than 3 days without doing some sort of exercise.  Working out has given me the necessary expenditure of energy that subsequently keeps my emotions in check.  I believe that the thousands of miles I have run through the years have probably saved a few lives. 

23.  You.  Must.  Laugh.  Often and a lot.  

24.  Realize that nothing in life is linear.  Expect this truth.

25.  Buy quality haircare products.  From your stylist.  At a salon.  Throw the bottles of Pantene out the window!

26.  Read or at least listen to books often.  Mix it up with both fiction and nonfiction varieties.  I am always surprised at the rabbit holes I end up going down as the result of reading an excellent book.  And I am also amazed at how my interest is piqued by subjects I never even knew I was interested in!

27.  Cheap beer.  Expensive whiskey.  And red Powerade if there's too much of either.

28.  Don't settle.  Don't tolerate.  Don't allow disrespect.  Walk the f*& away and don't look back.

29.  Find things that you love the scent of and use them often.  I love the smell of French NUXE products for my shower,  Mrs. Meyer's cleaners when I clean house, and Tide laundry soap for laundry.  Palo santo incense, lemon candles, and sandalwood essential oil make things smell great anywhere else.  

30.  Have traditions and rituals, seasonally and daily.  I always listen to the same Christmas music when wrapping Christmas presents.  I have used the same Halloween cookie cutters for ginger cookies when October hits.  I drink a glass of water every morning before I do anything else.  I always make chocolate truffles for Valentine's Day.  You get the idea.  Those little traditions are the cornerstones of life.

Next Installment...

 11.  People will always let you down.  That's the problem with having expectations.  Just be sure to not let yourself down.  

12.  Simple is almost always the best way.  With communication, with clothing, with the food you eat, with your lifestyle, with just about everything.  

13. Don't trust girls with high-maintenance fingernails.  I've said this before and I will always stick by that.

14.  Try not to let another person's actions (or words or behavior) affect your life to the degree that you give up your control.

15.  Always stop and buy lemonade from a kid's lemonade stand.

16.  Take care of your teeth.

17.  Know your worth.  Sure, there are going to be times that you feel unsure about your value.  That's just life.  But deep down in your gut, know your worth and don't let anyone or anything make you forget it.

18.  Sometimes you need to take a chance and just jump right in.

19.  Most rules have an exception or can be broken.  Actually, most rules should be broken at some point.  Just don't break the law or hurt anyone in the doing.

20.  Butter never margarine.  Real whipped cream not CoolWhip.  Whole milk not skimmed.  Fresh eggs never store bought.  Scratch baked goods not boxed.  (Except Hamburger Helper Potatoes Stroganoff on occasion--embarassingly real confession)

It's That Time of Year Again.

 The birthday is coming up swiftly again.  Yeeks.

I like to get all introspective around my birthday.  I think it's to be certain that I'm not stagnating and am still learning stuff despite the whole getting older thing.  You're never too old to learn something new or change a previous mindset.  

What have I learned this year?  Oh my.  That list could be long.  Hey, maybe what I should do is make a list of 51 things I have learned this year.  Well, maybe not things I've learned from only this year but maybe 51 things I've learned in my 51 years.  Hmmmm.  Might take a few episodes.

1.  My mind is a whirling dervish of *oftentimes* untrue thoughts. Seriously, my mind can make up all kinds of crazy stuff.  I am learning to tell that absurdly implausible bitch to pipe down!

2.  There is a fine line between selfishness and self-awareness.  One is appalling and one is rather admirable.  I am always trying to ensure that I'm walking on the correct side of that line.

3.  Too much cardio just hurts my knees.

4.  My value is not tied up in what I can accomplish or how much I can juggle.  (See #2)

5.  I can be peculiar and say peculiar things and think peculiar thoughts and still be just fine.  As long as I understand what I'm doing, well, I think I'm good.

6.  Trust is more valued than kindness sometimes.  Kindness can be a sham but trust, honest to goodness trust, is real.

7.  I'm sorry but I just have to say it:  fake eyelashes scare me to death.

8.  I will always, always plant too many green beans.

9.  Instacart.  My savior.  Seriously, you've got to try Instacart.  The amount of time and money (no more impulse buys!) it saves me far outweighs the cost of the service fees, tips, and delivery fees.

10.  There is very little in life that a good night's sleep can't fix.  Might just be my perspective that gets fixed but that alone is often enough.