Sixty-One Simple Lessons Life has Taught Me

The last week of June, I had lunch with a friend, and she asked me if I was prepped for my birthday month. She caught me off guard. I knew my birthday was just around the corner, but my normal excitement to celebrate the whole month of July was oddly dormant.

Celebrating My Birthday Month

I needed to choose rejoicing over framing tasks within a must-be-done-now mentality.

Roadblocks to Rejoicing

While I was scrolling social media one day, I came upon a post by someone I assume is famous. She was turning 33, and she gave 33 of her favorite life lessons. I decided, in honor of my birthday month, I would write something similar. I turn 61 this year, so here are 61 bits of wisdom I have learned in my lifetime.

Live Life to the Fullest

1.  Start every day with Jesus. Sit in His presence and get to know Him through reading His Word.
2.  Buy the better coffee, it’s definitely worth the money.
3.  Pray with honesty. For instance, be honest about what you are feeling and experiencing and how you want God to answer. In addition, be honest about your struggle to  accept what God allows and/or provides.
4.  Go the extra mile for your spouse, and family members. Never shortchange those  relationships.
5.  Invite friends to run errands with you. We all have things we need to do; we don’t have to do them alone.
6.  Make eye contact with people. We show we value them, plus we listen better.
7.  Train and maintain your imagination by reading novels.
8.  Go to church EVERY Sunday. You need the community, and the community needs you.
9.  De-clutter. Throw extra things as well as duplicates away, or pass them on to someone who needs them.
10. Find a hobby. Challenge your mind and your creativity.
11. Celebrate. Every day. Because God is always good.
12. Pet a dog regularly. If you don’t have one, visit a friend’s dog. According to John Hopkins Medicine, petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol.
13. Learn something new even if you are afraid you’ll look silly. Forge ahead boldly.
14. Be curious: about people and/or why something is happening. In addition, be curious about your emotions. Basically, be curious about anything and everything.
15. Wear what makes you smile. It’s okay if the colors don’t match precisely. Wear the pants everyone else thinks are weird. You can also wear a dress when everyone else is wearing jeans or vice versa.
16. Spend the money on shoes you can wear all day.
17. It’s fun to switch up your eyeglasses.
18. Hug people. Even if you’re not a hugger, you can give others a quick hug. It brightens their day, and it will brighten yours.
19. Laugh. Loudly and without shame.
20. Talk about what God is teaching you. Furthermore, make discussing God’s Word a normal part of conversation.
21. Pray for your family and friends. Know their prayer needs and keep track of how God is answering.
22. Surprise people.
23. Ask yourself hard questions. For example: Do I need this? Am I being critical or judgmental? Can I be more generous? Am I making things all about me?
24. Robo-vacuums are worth the investment.
25. Plan and take regular vacations.
26. Play games. For instance, you can play yard games, board games, card games, electronic games, or sports games. Play them all.
27. Find ways to agree with others. In other words, identify how you are similar and not just different.
28. Sing along with the radio. Sing like no one is listening.
29. Find ways to move your body regularly. Consequently, don’t pass up opportunities to dance, run, walk, skip, bike, jump, or squat.
30. Identify something to be grateful for every day.
31. Look for the wonder God wove into each person you meet.
32. Challenge your brain. For example, do puzzles, learn a new skill, read a deep book, take a class, or ask questions and search for complete answers.
33. Infuse your water with fruit. It’s delicious.
34. Avocados taste good on practically everything. However, don’t put avocados on your ice cream ~ick.
35. Remember God is ALWAYS with you.
36. Know what you really want most. We make choices all the time, and we often make choices according to what is appealing in the moment. However, knowing what you really want enables you to consistently make better choices.
37. Don’t conform to this world. Don’t do it.
38. Honor the Sabbath. Choose a day to truly honor God. Don’t work and don’t schedule things that have to be done. Instead, spend the day enjoying time with God, family, and friends. Relax and participate in activities that ease your stress. Moreover, trust God to be your ultimate provider.
39. Share your hurts and struggles with a close group of friends. Then, allow them to pray with you and support you in your journey.
40. Honor others. Give compliments, participate in their celebrations, allow them to go first.
41. Save some money, spend some money.
42. Talk to your kids, even when they’re grown. Call, share jokes, enjoy who they grow up to be.
43. Talk about how great your spouse is.
44. Don’t forget sunscreen.
45. Call your mom and dad while you can. There are so many things you will want to tell them when you can’t.
46. Get to know your neighbors.
47. Invite people over. You don’t have to make it all fancy, just welcome others into your space.
48. Go hiking. God created an amazing world, plus He formed us to move. It’s a win-win.
49. Fires in the fireplace, bonfires, and firepits are relaxing.
50. Play a prank once in a while. If you’re able, pass the blame. It adds to the fun.
51. Find moments to just sit and ponder.
52. Ask yourself regularly if your thought process and/or perspective is skewed in some way.
53. In addition, ask yourself regularly if you are hindering God in any way.
54. Slow down. (… you move to fast. You’ve gotta make the morning last. Just, skipping down the cobblestones, looking for fun and feeling groovy…)
55. Always add a little color somewhere, somehow, to your life.
56. Consciously choose every day to make life about God and not about yourself.
57. Make new friends. Furthermore, try a friend of a different race, background, or generation.
58. Cultivate a welcoming attitude. For instance, welcome people, new experiences, a chance to learn, and differing opinions.
59. Bake cookies. Share cookies.
60. Go exploring. Check out a new town, a new neighborhood, a new store, a new way to go some place you go often.
61. Eat your vegetables, including the lesser-known vegetable, chocolate. Chocolate comes from a bean; therefore, it is a vegetable. I prefer the M&M variety.

Celebrate this July

Birthday Baby Photo by Henley Design Studio on Unsplash