Did you miss me? I know you did; I know you could barely stand the suspense I have built being on hiatus this past little while.
I should be at a reading tonight, but I am sick. I am 37 sick, which is different from 25 sick. 25 sick you can pop some DayQuil and still conquer the world. At 25 you can medicate and barely feel sick. 37 sick is different. You pop DayQuil and still need a nap. Your body aches (that also may be because of the fall I had yesterday – which by the way is also different at 37). So in my 37 year-old sick, medicated haze I felt it might be time to spread some of my 37 year-old wisdom, which again is different from 25 year-old wisdom, and by different I do mean better. At least wisdom gets better with age.
1. Beverly Hills Troop is the way to go…
So my daughter is a Girl Scout. This year was her first camporee. I now know I missed out on nothing as a non-Girl Scout. Camping is not my cup of tea. I love nature and smores, but I am more of a let’s go for a hike and then sleep in a warm bed with a solid roof over our head kind of girl. I did however get the tent up all by myself! And it stayed up all night long. I know, I know I have a plethora of miraculous secret super powers.
2. Keep things big and small…
Most of us I am sure have a little box of special keepsakes, but if you do not; you should start to put one together. I have kept cards from birthdays, letters from friends and yes the shirt my husband was wearing the day we met is also in this box along with the balloon he gave me on my first birthday we celebrated together.
Now that you are done gagging, let me reiterate that you should save things big and small. I went through my box the other day and came across a card that my friend’s mom had given me for my 16th birthday. The memories that came flooding back as I read this card brought a smile to my day. These little mementos are what become our priceless treasures.
3. There is so much more to do than play video games…
If your house is like ours the kiddos are always wanting to play on electronics. It is a constant battle to keep them entertained without having to pull out the electronics. My advice is get outside – we have invested in a trampoline just to lure them to the outdoors. But also, go places – we do this as often as we can. I recommend the Children’s Museum in Monterey. I especially liked the life-size Operation game myself.
It is also fun to find other past times – my kids like to play Life and Mancala. I also recently purchased a puzzle from Amazon and my oldest and I spent a good 90 minutes of quality time putting it together.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I am any less addicted to Candy Crush or Solitaire on my iPad. Nor does this mean that my kids do not play video games – it just means we strive for a more well-rounded day.
4. Make time for friends and family…
Believe me I get it; I am an introvert to beat all introverts. Sometimes even going out with people I want to see is a challenge. I also know I am repeating myself, yes even though I am 37 I can remember that this is a lesson I have talked about before. Making friends and letting people into your life is huge. It is definitely quality not quantity that you should be concerned about, but it is important to show up for those you care about no matter what.
5. Be yourself…
“To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day, to make you everybody but yourself-means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight-and never stop fighting.” E. E. Cummings.
This past week I was at a team meeting out-of-town and good old self-doubt popped into my head second guessing things I said and did and reliving moments when I said and did things and then this new wiser 37-year-old voice piped up and said, “what the heck, you were you and if that was something that was too much or too little for anyone else there than you narrowed down the pool of people who accept you for you.” And then I did a wonderous thing; I stopped reliving the moments of the meeting and moved on to the present. I am pretty sure the whole world shuddered a little with this earth shattering revelation. You felt it I am sure; it was that HUGE. Be yourself AND be at peace with being yourself. It doesn’t get better than that.
Until next time…
me
Michelle – once again you amaze me. Tears to my eyes with the card from Annie – because I know how extra special that is. You are an extra special person. Thank you for being you at the team meeting. Funny, witty, engaging, intelligent, delightful, entertaining, and a great presenter. Love you for being you! Had a house full of people to a party for your boys when you were sick. 37 sick in fact and it was a great party. What a trooper. ….had no idea you fell. We would have never known. Hope you get well quickly as you have an entire universe of people counting on you. You teach me life lessons every time you write. I added two of my own after reading yours this time. 1. Tell your daughter how much you love her every chance you get. Tell her how proud of you are. Tell her she is perfect just the way she is and you would never change anything about her. Tell her she is everything you ever hoped for in life. Life is short – makes sure she knows these things. (I hope you know that is how mom and I feel about you.) 2. When life presents obstacles or that fear or self doubt creeps in – just say “freakin fruitloops” and move on. Just they way you are is good enough! Thank you for another wonderful post!
Now I have tears. Thank you! I love your lessons. Freaking fruitloops is a necessity for everyone’s vocabulary.