Once you get past your 21st birthday, there is nothing super exciting about your age creeping upward.
Except maybe being able to rent a car anywhere when you turn 25. But I’m not sure that counts.

The Bible says “young” people are the ones dreaming dreams and running races with youthful vigourousness….but it also says that age brings wisdom. That’s pretty good actually. I appreciate having a rationalization for why my mile time keeps getting sloooooooooower, and I could certainly use some more wisdom. So, I heard this cool lady named Tova Sido do this on her podcast “The Remedy” (which my cousin Carey introduced me to and I LOVE!) and decided to steal her idea and see what kind of wisdom–if any!!!!–I’ve accumulated and write it down. I hope my list makes up for all of the achy joints and wrinkles!

So here are 46 things I know for sure after my 46 years on this planet.

1.  It’s worth taking the time at night to clean up the kitchen. Your whole day will go more smoothly because of it.
2. If you choose not to make your bed, it’s inevitable that someone, for some weird reason, will see it that day…even if nobody outside your immediate family has been in your bedroom in years.
3. Choosing to trust someone again after they have betrayed you is one of the strongest and most courageous things you can do.
4. A 20-minute nap can do just as much good as a 2-hour one. All sleep counts.
5. Hitting the snooze button on your alarm once is ok. Any more than that doesn’t add to your sleep quantity and probably makes you late.
6. If you’re going to make an apple pie, use fresh apples.  If you’re going to make a pumpkin pie, use canned pumpkin.
7. You can reuse your Starbucks cup for almost 3 days before it starts getting leaky.
8. It’s way easier to say that you forgive somebody than it is to actually do it.
9. Folding underwear and gym clothes is a total waste of time.
10. Asking for help doesn’t mean you failed, it means you’re trying to succeed.
11. Keeping a stick of butter at room temperature on your counter (preferably in a cute butter dish) will really come in handy almost every single day of your life.
12. Jesus meant it when He said, “Love everybody,”  but you have to remember that loving is not always the same as liking.
13. Never eat Mexican food the night before a big race.
14. The frozen cubes of garlic you can buy at Walmart are one of the best simplification tools God has given us.
15. If someone has the nerve to ask you if something is “homemade”, the fact that you put it together in your kitchen gives you the beautiful truthful answer of “Yes.” No further explanations are needed.
16. God created movie popcorn and Junior Mints to be together. To keep them apart is a sin.
17. Having a list of things you want done when you die is actually a beautiful gift to leave your loved ones.
18. Cranking up the radio and singing and the top of your lungs can seriously alter your mood.
19. Tucking a dryer sheet in your kiddo’s or husband’s suitcase is a great way to help them bring a little bit of home with them wherever they go.
20. Even if you couldn’t care less about a sport, pick a team and cheer for it. It makes everything more fun.
21. In relationships you have to “Stay well” or “Leave well”. Any other way only brings resentment and hurt. To everyone.
22. Take your phone out of your back pocket before you go to the bathroom.
23. Keeping a full cookie jar in your kitchen is the best way to guarantee that you will have visitors.
24. If you’re on the phone with someone who simply won’t stop talking and you have to go, it’s ok to interrupt and say, “I’m sorry but I’ll have to call you back,” and then hang up. They’ll forgive you. Probably.
25. Paying a little more for a high-quality thing that you’re going to have for a long time (boots, jeans, couch) is usually worth it.
26. If your kids want to go for donuts or ice cream…have some with them. Memories are better than calorie counting.
27. If you pluck a hair or pick your nose at a stoplight someone will be watching. They might even film you.
28. Homemade avocado toast will never taste as good as the ridiculously high-priced one that comes to you in a restaurant.
29. It is always easier to be there for someone else than it is to have someone else be there for you.
30. There is never a convenient time to have to change the ink cartridges in a printer or add staples to a stapler.
31. When you say you’re going to pray for someone, do it. Immediately. As in…right then and there with that person. It’s a serious (sometimes shocking!) blessing to them that you’re willing to pause in your life and spend that moment with them. It also helps prevent not praying due to being old and having a bad memory.
32. Spiders smell fear. It attracts them.
33. There is something about gathering around and sharing home-baked goodies that makes people open up and feel comfortable. This might not be scientific, but it is what it is.
34. Lies will come back and bite you. Even the little ones.
35. Leaving your phone on the table so you can glance at it makes the person you’re with feel less significant. Put it away and be present. You’re not so important that someone can’t live without you for an hour.
36. If you stay up past eleven, no matter how much you might have eaten earlier, you will somehow be hungry again.
37. There’s no “easy normal life.” There is crisis after mini-crisis after crisis. That’s normal. The sooner you realize that the sooner you can learn to live life better.
38. Put on your bathing suit and join the fun. When “later” comes, you’ll feel way more regret about what you missed than what you looked like.
39. Never try to put on a sports bra when you’re in a hurry and your back is still wet from a shower.
40. There is no “getting over” losing someone. There is only learning to live again.
41. Pay extra for real maple syrup and vanilla extract. It makes a huge difference.
42. If your reading glasses fall into your fresh cup of coffee, it’s still drinkable. Just take the glasses out first.
43. Sending an actual card or letter in the actual mail that someone will get at their actual physical mailbox makes an impact far beyond what you might expect.
44. Someone once told me that the ultimate example of self-control is not eating the chips and salsa put in front of you at a Mexican restaurant. That may be attainable….but it is simply not desirable. I don’t want to.
45. There are few things in life more satisfying than actually checking every box off on a “To-Do” list.
46. Call your mom. Or your dad. Or your aunt. Or your grandfather. And save at least one of their rambling voice-mails. You will one day be happy you did.