This week I celebrated 50 years on the planet. It’s hard to believe that many years have gone by.  I began thinking about what I had learned and experienced.  I came up with 50 take-aways—proof that I am making good use of my time (my mom would be so proud).

Here we go!

1. Time is our friend.  It gives us opportunities to learn, change and correct mistakes.
2. Family placement matters.  I’m the 7^th child of 10.  I’m also the 2^nd girl with 5 brothers between  my older sister (the oldest) and me.  I have learned some interesting things from my siblings and avoided some mistakes.
3. Money can provide opportunities but it can also make gratitude a little more challenging.
4. Reading is one of the most important life skills you can have.  Reading leads to education, which can lead to knowledge and good things happening when it’s applied.
5. Your childhood is important in forming your values and ideas.  However, these can change overtime because of life’s experiences.
6. People generally want what’s best for them and their family.  Other people are a distant second.
7. Humor is key to a happy journey.
8. Just because other people aren’t like you doesn’t make them weird—just a little harder to understand.
9. People like to fit in, yet stand out for their differences.
10. I hear it’s about the journey but I’m really interested in the destination.
11. Some people (me) only read the dialogue in books.
12. Honesty is the best policy (especially with yourself).
13. I’m not meant for the outdoors—too many biting bugs and the burning sun.
14. We usually want what we don’t have.
15. Being happy begins with appreciating and loving oneself.
16. Sex gets better with age (uh huh, it really does).
17. Sundays need a nap.
18. Exercise feels good.
19. Believing in God gives a person hope and direction.
20. There are evil people in the world.
21. Life does have rules.
22. Children are like Christmas presents that keep on giving, you get a surprise daily if not more.
23. Having kids can be scary because you may feel at times you are looking in a mirror.
24. Dancing is fantastic.
25. Early morning snuggles are fabulous.
26. I love country music- I can understand the lyrics and most the time relate to them.  Except the whole “dog dying” .
27. Clothes get smaller and fit differently as a person grows older.
28. Treat your parents well—your children are watching.
29. Ice Cream is good anytime after 11am and before 4am the next day.
30. Change is hard but doable.
31. GET HAPPY!  Life feels better.
32. Good friends are hard to come by.
33. Relationships ebb & flow, but can endure.
34. Marriage is an opportunity to have all your buttons pushed and to grow the most as a person.
35. Marriage, if treated well gets better with age.
36. Children don’t have a problem seeing you naked (they also don’t have a problem telling you what they think about it).
37. You will get caught by each child—at least once—while having sex. (And they won’t let you forget!)
38. Young & dumb has its benefits.
39. Old & wise has its place.
40. Wrinkles are hard earned.
41. Birthdays are celebration that your child survived another year.
42. Men and women are meant to be different because they complement each other to become a greater whole.
43. Communication is key to a successful marriage.  It just means and looks differently for the husband and the wife.
44. God is in the details.
45. Getting everything that I want isn’t always the best.
46.  A good and kind husband makes for a great life.  Women have a lot of power in the kind of man they are married to.
47. Discipline and consistency create happy children.
48. Taking breaths each day resets the body and mind.
49. Gratitude is a sign of class.
50. Choose to be happy and love life.  You only get one shot. Enjoy it!

There you go.  It has been a busy 50 years.

My brother called to wish me a happy birthday.  He is 60 years old.  He says, “Hope you are around for another 60-70 years”.  I said, “That is a really long time.  I hope we have our brain cells.”  He said, “Wouldn’t that be funny—the two of us sitting there staring into space and occasionally we both burst out laughing”.  I said, “The least we can do is synchronize our lucid moments so we can enjoy the time together”.  He laughed.

Life is good.  It really is as good as you make it.  Hard times come and go but joy can be ongoing.

What are some things you are learning from you time on the planet?  Let’s talk about it.