Love, Jimmie

I will be 48 this year.  Forty-eight.  Two less than fifty.  I will officially move from my mid-40s to my late-40s.  In musing over the fact that, with any luck, I’ve only hit about the mid-point of my life, I thought I’d look back at some of the things I’ve learned.  Here’s 48 of them.

1. Never live to work, only work to live. 
2. Buy a comfortable mattress.
3. Travel.
4. Singing your heart out will always improve your mood.
5. Step outside of your comfort zone and do something scary.
6. It’s none of your business what others think of you.
7. Be nice to the janitor. Your true character shows through in how you treat the “invisible” people.
8. If you love someone, say it the instant you realize it.
9. Live alone at least once in your life.
10. Tell the truth or keep your mouth shut.  Lies take an enormous amount of wasted energy to keep straight.
11. Now only lasts for one second.  Live in the present.
12. Sometimes you have to walk away from certain people, even if they are your family.
13. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable.  Choose happy.
14. You never look as bad or as good in a bathing suit as you think you do.
15. Life is painful, but suffering is optional. 
16. Most people who ask for your opinion don’t really want it.  They simply want you to validate their opinion.
17. Flossing is overrated.  Really.
18. Nothing is as easy or as hard as it first seems.
19. You’re never too old for a coloring book and crayons.
20. Fear and jealousy are wasted emotions full of negativity.
21. Sometimes you have to lose your way to find yourself.
22. Hotel room sleeping is the best kind. 
23. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
24. Never exchange what you want most for what you want for the moment.
25. When you feel good about yourself, you feel good about your world.
26. Friends-with-benefits are really fun, but it can also be really dangerous.
27. When you judge others you aren’t defining them, you’re defining you.
28. Las Vegas is only fun for 2-3 days at a time.
29. Happiness has two ingredients: Forgiveness and gratitude.
30. There is a very big difference between hearing and listening.
31. Nobody wins a war.  Somebody just loses less.
32. Listen to your heart.  Your heart will never lie to you.
33. Massages are worth every penny.
34. So are personal trainers.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. Money is a lousy way to keep score.
37. Take each disappointment and setback and ask yourself, “Will it matter 5 years from now?”
38. Make peace with your past so it doesn’t screw up your future.
39. Sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same.
40. Respect the people who find time for you, but love the people who make time for you.
41. Ask why until you understand.
42. Start saving for retirement with your very first job.
43. Don’t be too eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever.
44. Eating a whole bag of Hershey Kisses will make your stomach ache, but probably not enough to never do it again.
45. One of the greatest inventions of all time is Google.
46. No matter how bad it’s been, you should always be able to cite at least three good things about your day.
47. People will forget what you said and what you did, but they won’t forget how you made them feel.
48. And in the immortal words of Yoda: Do or do not, there is no try.

Happy Birthday, my forever friend.  Love, Jimmie.