Have you read Oprah's book What I know For Sure? I haven't read it but my friend Ashten (who actually wrote a similar post to this one) says it's wonderful and I'm going to take her at her word (and add the book to my TBR list). There are a lot of things in this world that I'm unsure about. Like, whether or not me or my husband will lose our jobs in the next year (I hope not) or whether I'll be able to have children when the time comes (I hope so) or if I'll come home to toilet paper shreds all over the house because our cats got in a feisty mood while we were at work (highly likely).
My point being - there are so SO many unknowns, and if that's all we focus on then we'll just end up driving ourselves crazy. So I decided to think about some things that I do know without a doubt.
It's okay to like things that are different from other people's likes.
Basically, it's not wrong to be different. It's actually pretty normal to be different. When I was younger, I had a hard time coming to terms that I disliked some of the things my friends loved and vice versa. I wanted to be cool, to have tons of friends and to do this I thought we all needed to like, totally love the same things. Now, I realize that it is sometimes our differences rather than our likeness that can bring us closer together.
Our failures help to shape us into better people.
Just like being different is normal, failing is also. It's just a part of life - and a crucial one at that. I've talked before about failing nursing school the first time around. It taught me that life is hard and just because some things come easily, some things take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish - and it makes the finally getting there all the sweeter.
There's not much that can beat a bowl of ice cream.
Particularly a bowl of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream. Growing up, it was a staple in our household and when my husband said he "didn't really eat Blue Bell" I knew he would learn to love it (and he did).
Friends will come and go, and that's okay.
Throughout college I met some gals (and guys) that I thought would be a part of my life forever. Turns out I was wrong. We didn't get in a fight or anything, they were just a part of my life that wasn't meant to last. Like blunt-cut bangs and gaucho pants, some things just aren't meant to be in my life long term.
Coffee may not fix everything, but it sure helps. (There's not much else to say on that subject.)
It's okay to be wrong.
This one took a long time to figure out - my Aries nature and my stubborn personality can sometimes keep me from admitting fault or being wrong. But with age comes wisdom, and I've learned (especially in marriage) that life is so much easier when you can admit that you're in the wrong.
It's better to take life one day at a time.
If I spend all my time worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow, or next month, then I'll never enjoy today. I'm sure there's some fancy quote that explains it better than I do, but my point is: I want to live in the moment and soak up all the joys that moment has to offer, rather than spend my time worrying about things over which I have no control.