A Hope Chest of Light Keeping

The 31 lessons of my 30th year.

  1. An apartment with brown walls is a hard sell.
  2. There is nothing twinkle lights can’t fix. Or a wind-chime.
  3. Love is really, really hard. (Self love, friend love, romantic love, family love. Love of all kinds.)
  4. TV is still not as interesting as a great book.
  5. Loving a dog is a process in patience. It is ok to not like the dog all the time.
  6. So is loving yourself.
  7. If you don’t enjoy doing something, don’t do it.
  8. Do not underestimate the smell of clean floors. Or the feel of clean sheets.
  9. Sometimes people are in your life for a little while and then they leave, it’s ok to let them go.
  10. You can take a shower and start the day over, no matter what time it is.
  11. Go ahead and take the picture of the sunset, it’s ok to find beauty in the small things.
  12. Singing Reba at any given moment will turn any situation into a party.
  13. Resting is good for your body and your mind.
  14. The presents that mean the most are often free.
  15. Working hard will get you so far, timings the other half.
  16. Being kind is easy. That is not the same as being stepped on.
  17. Weddings are draining.
  18. Getting up with the sun gives you a lot of time in the day to get things done and enjoy.
  19. Dad’s old sweatshirt is still the best.
  20. Whatever it is, clean it up before you sit down to watch TV at night.
  21. For God’s sake, if it has a hole in it-repair it or get rid of it.
  22. Going under for surgery isn’t as bad as you think. Just trust.
  23. Toast. Caramelized onions. Cake. (The holy trinity that will never not make eating delightful.)
  24. Take your pillow to new places to sleep better. If you can’t fit your pillow, just take your pillow case.
  25. The room looks different when you make the bed.
  26. Writing it down doesn’t always keep the memory.
  27. Grief shows up often and uninvited. The more you sit with it, the less frightening it becomes.
  28. Anger doesn’t help with communication.
  29. Sometimes a person just does not want to be helped. Accept it and move on.
  30. Curtains make a difference.
  31. You will heal and you will not be the same, but it won’t always hurt the way it hurts now. It will just hurt different.

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