This blog was founded on January 1, 2020. A time when almost no one amongst us could yet foresee the magnitude of what lay ahead globally in the months and ongoing years that would soon follow.
Though I’ve mentioned my birthday in passing sometime around its date in each of the previous two years Witchcrafted Life has been online, I have not yet devoted a post to the subject.
Having decided by early June that I wanted to do so this time around, I began brainstorming a slew of possible topics to write about on this front. 😀
Various ideas stuck in my mind for a few days at a time and, I have no doubt, each would make for a lovely entry unto itself.
However, the concept at the heart of today’s post is the one that soared above the rest and as a result, is what I am sharing with each of you on this, my 38th (GF) cake day.
While in the most literal of senses, the word “truth” is precisely that. The factual actuality of a situation, event, statement, and so forth.
Yet, we each have our own truths as well. Many are likewise factual, but in a way, when dealing with the subject of personal truths, the word “truth” can almost become synonymous with others such as “lessons”, “experiences”, or even “battles”.
To my mind, certain truths are indesputable. The earth is round, we 100% went to the moon, death is inevitable, and Halloween is the best holiday of all time! 🎃
Okay, maybe that last one is more of a personal opinion, but you can see where I am going with this all the same. 😄
The following list is not an exhaustive one and I delight in thinking that come five, fifteen, or (if I am immensely fortunate) fifty years from now, it would be both longer and contain other lessons/truths that I have yet to encounter or which are being learned as we speak.
I am not saying that these entries apply to everyone and completely understand that some of them might not jive with your own outlook on life. That is completely okay!
After all, we often differ in varying ways from one another and this is amongst the most beautiful and inspiring aspects of the human experience.
After a profoundly difficult and very long labour that very nearly claimed both of our lives, on a sizzling hot July night in 1984 my mother brought me into this world. A few hours later, a powerful summer thunderstorm raged outside the hospital windows as a first-time mom and her early – but not quite premie – infant snuggled together. Exhausted, elated, and bonded more closely than two adjacent atoms from that moment onward.
Like many of us, at this point in my life, I could easily pen a multi-volume autobiography of my life (the last decade alone could probably fill an entire library shelf! 😄). This post is not the Reader’s Digest version of that.
No, it is a list of some of the most important, meaningful, impactful, and valuable things I have come to call my own truths + life lessons thus far after nearly four decades of calling this ol’ spinning rock of ours home.
And while I could, likewise, speak at substantial length about each of the following points, given that birthdays should generally be lighthearted times of mirth and merriment, I didn’t want to delve too exhaustedly.
Most, if not all, of these statements speak for themselves so the addition of just a few more words or lines to expand on them feels right to me at present.
Take what you wish from them, agree or disagree, and remember that the rapidly perishing art of civility is one that we can all do our part to keep from giving up the ghost entirely. 💗
38 of The Most Important Truths I Have Learned in My 38 Years of Life
1. Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking. In fact, it is all the more important to do the right thing when you are not being watched. It is often easy to act in front of others in the way(s) we believe they want us to, but the true measure of a person’s character comes from what they do when there are few, if any, eyes (or cameras, for that matter) on them.
2. It is okay to help someone carry their baggage, but remember that you are no one’s porter but your own. Often in life, what starts out as innocently aiding another person with their troubles can quickly spiral into you getting trapped under the weight of someone else’s problems, stresses, or hardships.
There is rarely anything wrong with being helpful. However, it is vital to always remember you are not here to hold up the weight of the entire world for anyone else (especially, fellow adults) – no matter how much you love and care about them.
3. Sometimes failing is vastly more beneficial than succeeding. Winning or achieving our goals is fantastic, but there are time when far greater lessons lie in not being the first to cross the proverbial finish line – or, in some cases, ever crossing it at all.
Lick your wounds, if applicable, study what went off the rails or could have been done differently, and instead of wallowing in defeat or failure, use what you learned to propel you forward as a stronger, wiser human being.
4. We miss 100% of the shots we don’t take. This line comes from hockey legend (and fellow Canadian) Wayne Gretzky and, goodness gracious, is it true.
It can be scary (if not downright terrifying sometimes) to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones, to wander even a metre beyond the border of familiarity, or to risk failing spectacularly (see the above point).
Yet, at the same time, the possibility of a positive outcome lies with each shot we take in life and while it is wise to be cautious at times, we do ourselves a profound disservice by not taking a leap of faith and trying the unknown/new/scary sometimes.
5. You are going to get hurt. Likely many, many times. This is normal. While I am not suggesting anyone be a glutton for punishment, trying to hide from situations that may cause us emotional/mental/spiritual pain is like trying to avoid getting wet when you’re caught outside in an open field sans an umbrella during a rainstorm.
It is simply not going to happen.
6. Never depend on another person for your happiness. Early on in life, as I lived through a childhood of immeasurable disfunction and a litany of abuse, I innately discovered (in part due to watching many adults in my life fail to understand this important point about themselves) that I am the one who is most responsible for my own happiness.
Right then and there, before I had even hit a double-digit age, I pledged to consciously choose happiness whenever possible and to remember that I am the person who most powerfully fans the flame of my own inner joy.
That does not mean being pollyannish or naïve, embracing toxic positivity, hiding from difficulty or putting on a false emotional front 24/7, rather that because I do not expect anyone else to make me happy, I owe it to myself all the more to generate my own sense of happiness from deep within my very being.
7. Good manners – as well as kind words – go a very long way. Simple as that.
8. Healthy, loving, respectful relationships take work, but if you constantly feel exhausted/stressed out by them, they are likely not any of those things.
Great relationships are rather like well-oiled and operating machines. Sure, they need tune-ups, inspections, and general maintenance periodically, but they should not require you to work on them 24/7 in order to barely keep them chugging along.
Hard as it can be, sometimes in order to save yourself and return a greater sense of stability/wellness/freedom to your life, you will have to end (or greatly alter the dynamics of) certain relationships.
In the long run, you will almost always thank yourself as you look back marvelling over how long you endured a situation that truly was not working.
9. Learn to laugh at yourself. As someone who is extremely shy, introverted, self-conscious, and prone to anxiety, this has been a tough one for me at times over the years. However, that has only made me more determined to laugh at myself when the situation calls for it. 😆
We all make mistakes and blunders, do silly things unintentionally, find ourselves in embarrassing situations, say the wrong words, and get egg on our face from time to time. So what!
There are far worse things in this world and berating ourselves, lashing out at others, hiding in shame, or fixating on what happened doesn’t change the past, so why fret when you could simply laugh and move on!
10. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again – but also know when to throw in the towel. Ask anyone who knows me well in real life and chances are one of the first words they will use to describe me is tenacious.
Tony even goes so far as to lovingly say I am as stubborn as a bulldog.
And you know what? I will happily take that as the compliment I know he intends it to be.
I will push myself to the extreme, fight tooth and nail to make things that matter to me come to fruition, and not back down easily.
However, at the same time, I have come to learn the value that resides in knowing when to admit that something is just not working out as it should.
There is no shame in that admission. At the end of the day, it usually far better and beneficial to give up trying to fix something that is seriously broken and instead start on a new build that might work out this time around.
11. No one is perfect. Not me, not you, not any mortal being that has ever walked the face of the earth. We all make mistakes, have bad days, say and do things we regret, make poor choices, forget important things, and hurt others (whether we intend to do so or not).
The sooner in life you embrace that, the happier, less stressful, and more easygoing the rest of your existence will be.
While it is fine to hold certain standards in terms of what you hope for/expect from others, remember that we are all just human, all learning, and that in many cases, deserving of a second (or third, etc) chance.
In recent years this point has all been thrown out of the societal window and we are doing nothing but harming ourselves as a species in the process. So, in some instances at least, let’s cut people a bit more slack, remember that the times when we ourselves have fallen short, and don’t be harsher on others for their shortcomings or mistakes than is legitimately warranted.
12. The little things matter a lot. Sure, we might remember the big events, the fabulous vacations, and the annual holidays we observe more than some random Thursday in February, but at the end of the day most peoples’ lives are filled with far more small, often meaningful experiences and joys than mammoth ones.
Value, take note of, share, and try to be thankful for the little things. They are, in fact, far bigger and more important than we often realize in the moment and help to make up the backbone of our existence.
13. Wear whatever you want! This is the 21st century and, in many parts of the world at least, most people are free to sport anything they choose. As much as I do believe that some attire is better suited to certain settings/occasions than others, I am an even bigger proponent of marching to the beat of one’s own sartorial drum.
This was something I reiterated time and time again when I ran a vintage fashion blog for nearly a decade. This concept holds no less true for me – or anyone else – today than it did back in those delightfully fun 1940s and 50s clothing-filled days.
It can take guts to step out of the current fashion status quo and, yes, you might get some flack, unwanted comments, strange looks, or curious questions, but that is usually no reason to not dress however your heart pleases and your budget permits.
I learned a long time ago that the more I dressed in tune with the style(s) my own heart most adored at the time, the happier and less stressed I was. In speaking to others with unique styles, they have said much the same thing and I animatedly believe it rings true for a good deal of us the world over.
14. Hurt people hurt people. As touched on point #5 on this list, we all experience hurt, pain, sorrow, and negative experiences throughout the course of our lives.
However, the more a person suffers without knowing and/or having the proper outlets to help them cope, heal, process their trauma, speak about their ordeals, and (if applicable) rebuild their lives again, the more likely they are to lash out at others. Using their misplaced pain as a weapon of false power/control and/or way to temporarily block out some of their own suffering
We see this generational trauma, in those who come home from war, in bullying, in survivors of abuse, and countless others.
Some scars may never heal entirely. However, the short-lived, misguided sense of power or emotional pacification we may receive from directing our own pain unjustly at others is never the best route to healing for us and only stands to lengthen the journey for both ourselves and our unwitting victims in the process.
15. Eat ice cream for dinner. Remember when you were a kid and you used to say that when you grew up you would eat ice cream (or candy, chocolate bars, French fries, pizza, etc) morning, noon, and night?
And that you would stay up until 2 am, play video games (or whatever else your young self adored doing for fun) daily, and spend a bunch of time with your friends?
Umm, yeah, so how did those plans turn out?
Somewhere along the line, “adulting” (to use the parlance of the day) entered our lives and in the process, we forgot that a lot of the time, we have the ability to just let loose and embrace fun.
Whether that does in fact involve sitting down to a tub of Cookies and Cream for dinner or not, it is painfully easy to lose sight of the fact that as adults, we often have vastly more autonomy over our own lives than we tend to realize and that there is much to be said for keeping our inner child content no matter how many birthdays we experience. 🍦
16. Let it go. Long before Frozen made this wise piece of advice into a saccharine earworm, the principle existed and is no less true today than at any point in human history.
Seriously. Just let it go.
I know, it can hard or frightening to drop our pain, to forgive others (remember that forgiveness does not equate to forgetting and that in the act of forgiving another, we free ourselves further from the grasp of what they did to us), and to let sleeping dogs lie.
And that is all the more reason why we should try to do so. Life wasn’t meant to be easy all the time, but we can often make the road we trod a less difficult one by dropping a lot of unnecessary baggage along the way and mindfully choosing not to let the negatives/challenges/hardship/pain in our life fully define who we are.
17. We need so much less than we think/believe we do to be genuinely happy. Look, I’m not a minimalist and I certainly adore most of what I own.
That said, I can tell you having experienced multiple times in my life when all of my worldly goods fit into just one or two suitcase – and an instance when I had virtually nothing at all – that while material goods can bring us a measure of happiness and have their rightful place in our lives, at the end of the day, we cannot carry any of what we own with us when we cross over to the other side.
Be grateful for what you have. Take stock in the fact that the items you may desire exist in the world and that alone their presence is a wonderful thing unto itself whether you ever obtain them or not, and try not to fill your life with scads of possessions that you don’t actually need or love (and which *may* be transference for other things that are lacking or missing entirely from your world).
18. It is never too late to have a happy childhood. Let’s face it, not that many of us had idyllic youths – and, sadly, some of us scarcely got to experience a sense of childhood point blank.
Yet as American author Tom Robbins astutely reminds us, it is never (or at least rarely) too late to create a sense of the kind of joyful, stable childhood we wish we had later on in our in ourlife.
In the process, I have come to learn, we often do a great deal of inner healing from the difficulties of our early years.
19. Make things for the sake of making them. Not for praise, not to sell, not to flaunt online, not to try and one-up anybody, and, just as importantly, regardless of if you currently excel on a particular creative front or not.
Creating something that was not there before we spun it into being is one of the most rewarding, meaningful, and even cathartic experiences we can have.
Not everything we make will be a winner and that is completely fine. Having fun, letting your creativity take flight, and losing yourself in the moment are each worth far more than even the most valuable painting in the world could fetch at auction.
20. Listen. Really, really listen. Not because you are counting down the milliseconds until it is your turn to talk next, but because you value what the other person is saying (regardless of if you agree with it or not) and respect their right to speak.
There is often just as much – if not more – to be learned from hearing what someone with differing views of life experiences from your own has to say.
It is easy to talk, harder (for many at least) to listen. Hone and actively practise this skill. It will take you far.
21. Get the thing(s) you least want to do out of the way first. Our parents often told us that if we wanted dessert, we had to eat our vegetables first (though, I don’t recall hearing this myself very often as I was that odd kid out who would have happily traded a second helping of carrots for a slice of carrot cake 😄).
That is an important life lesson that extends far beyond the dinner table.
Instead of putting off or flat out avoiding the difficult elements of your day/week/month, try to tackle them as soon as you possibly can.
The sense of freedom, serenity, and happiness that comes from knowing that they are no longer looming over your head will help you succeed all the more in the other, likely preferable, tasks that lay ahead of you (plus, potentially lift a decent sized weight off of your shoulders in the process).
22. There are (usually) far worse things in life than being offended. Lest Twitter implode at the mere thought, we are going to get offended sometimes. It happens, it is normal, and it does not necessarily mean that someone has actually done anything genuinely wrong towards/against you.
An important part of being a well-adjusted adult is accepting this fact, opting to not make a big deal out of things that do not warrant it, and simply moving on.
23. Spend your money on experiences, not just things. I remember hearing grownups say this when I was little and while I understood and could appreciate the sentiment, it would not be until I was old enough to vote, have a mortgage and all those fun things that hitting the age of 18+ entails that I would fully come to realize just how profoundly right they were.
If you have the means, try to allocate some of your budget for experiences. That doesn’t have to mean lavish vacations, huge parties, or front-row seats at a concert.
It can be taking your aging father on a road trip to his boyhood town (possibly for the last time), attending classes for a skill or area of study you have always wanted to pick up, going out to that incredible restaurant you keep hearing about, or countless other scenarios where the experience you have and the memories you make trump just about any physical item(s) you could have spent that same time and money on.
24. Almost nothing truly worthwhile comes easy. Goals take hard work and time. Success takes failure and perseverance, and excelling in a given area requires dedication coupled with frustration, times when you feel like giving up, and plenty of trial and error along the way.
Good.
More often than not, the harder we work, the sweeter and more meaningful reaching (or even exceeding) our target feels when it does eventually happen.
As the classic adage says, Rome was not built in day, so why should we expect our own lofty undertakings to be any different?
25. Value your elders. Once, not so long ago in the course of human history, it was extremely common + normal for multiple generations of a family to live together under the same roof.
And while, of course, this does still happen in some cases, in some parts of the world at least, it is no longer the norm.
I believe there is often great benefit to surrounding ourselves with those of generations other than our own – very much including those who have been blessed to reach their golden years.
Chances are they’ve learned a thing or two in their time that you could benefit from hearing or being taught how to do.
Sure, you might cringe over some of what your great-grandma says or want to roll your eyes when you aging mom tells you the same story about something that happened when you were a little kid for the 50th time, but these things are often a small price to pay for the wisdom, love, and life experience that the elderly frequently have to impart to us.
Cherish the older individuals in your life and make sure to let them know just how much they mean to you before it too late.
26. Embrace change. This is a concept that sends a cold shudder down many a spin. I get it, truly I do. However, change accompanies death as one of the only certainties in each of our existences.
You can either exhaust yourself to bone swimming against the current of change, or do your best to float in the direction that it is flowing.
I find it helpful to shift the focus from what may be disappearing or being altered when change occurs and instead on the positives (or, as the case may be, seemingly hidden silver linings) that might soon enter my life.
Plus, what fun would life be if stayed the same day in and day? Change is important, necessarily, and a great opportunity for personal growth.
27. Don’t punish your current romantic interest for the sins, so to speak, of past partners.
This is a toughie. Nearly everyone who has had one or more difficult/abusive/stressful/etc romantic relationships tends to act and respond in certain ways in their next relationship(s) as a result of what befell them in the past.
Yet, it is vital that we give people a chance to show their own true colours before we jump to any conclusions or jeopardize a great thing before it has scarcely got of the ground because of what we experienced with prior partners.
Talk to the person (or people) you are with now, be open about what you’ve gone through and the lasting impacts that/those experiences have had on you (and likewise, give them ample time to share the same with you, if applicable).
You can even ask them to help you further your healing journey and in turn, offer to be a part of theirs. The bond that can stem from this kind of mutual desire to work towards the healthiest, safest, most respectful, and happiest relationship you can realistically share with someone is often worth more than its weight in gold.
28. An eye for an eye only leaves two people partially blind. It is woefully normal to feel the need for retaliation when someone has wronged or deeply hurt you, yet that is rarely (outside of situations where the law should be involved, of course) the best or wisest approach.
Instead of giving into knee-jerk reactions or scheming about how you can get even, remember that hurting someone else to make yourself feel better is about as smart an idea as building a house on quicksand.
It might look good for a moment, but chances are nothing of lasting worth will come of it in the end.
Instead, depending on the situation, it is often far better to speak to the offending party, remove yourself from the situation, or choose to take the highroad and let what they did roll off your back.
29. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink. Most of us are familiar with this classic expression and there’s a reason for that: it is very true!
No matter how much you may try to help, support, provide for, or otherwise attempt to present a person with what they may need, at the end of the day, they will only learn/change/grow if they want to do so.
Learn how to recognize when you’ve done a reasonable amount and yet nothing seems to be working. Step back at that point and wait to see if the horse gets thirsty or not in the end.
You cannot – and should not! – forcibly change people, so why drive yourself around the bend trying to accomplish the impossible?
30. Always have something to look forward to. It does not have to be big or break bank, but do everything in your power to always have at least one thing that you will enjoy doing/be happy about to look forward to in life.
This was something that was drilled home for me immensely in the years immediately following when (in my teens) I suddenly became a multi-severe chronic illness fighter and so much of my life was turned completely upside down.
For me, no matter what, Halloween / Samhain is something that I look forward to immensely the whole year through.
If I am blessed to have other things to eagerly anticipate throughout a given year, I consider myself very fortunate and lean as much as I can into the sense of hope and positivity that these lovely upcoming events stand to house.
Try to find one or two things that you can look forward to annually and to pepper others that (may) change from year to year into the mix as well.
Knowing that something positive is coming down the pipeline can do an immeasurable amount of good for our psyches, motivation levels, and general day-to-day mood alike.
31. You are going to look back on your younger self and cringe. Likely A LOT.
Whether it was your Flock of Seagulls haircut in the 1980s, the cheesy love poems you wrote in junior high, some of the romantic partners you chose, or a trillion other things, if you have grown and matured further even a little bit over the years, chances are you will wince when you reflect back on some of things you used to do.
That is great. No, seriously, it is! You want to keep developing as a person, honing your skills, making wiser choices, and progressing in life.
And chances are, by much the same token, there will also be points from years past that you look back on and feel immensely proud of yourself for doing.
Think of it as a bit of nostalgic yaying and naying, if you will.
32. Go outside. Often. Really often. Really, really often.
I sincerely understand that access to the great outdoors is easier to come by for some of us than others and, likewise, that not everyone is keen to do their best Bear Grylls impression.
Nor do you have to! Science backs up the immense importance of spending even just small pockets of time outside and the value that doing so imparts to our overall well-being.
Whether nature looks like sitting out on the deck of your 15th-floor big city apartment, walking your kids to school along a rural road, enjoying a good book on the beach, or any other positive scenario, try to spend time outside on a regular basis.
It can do wonders for your mood, provide inspiration, stir up old memories and create new ones, bolster your spirituality, and help to remind you of the vital link between humanity and the natural world that quite literally keeps us alive.
(Note: Exceptions to this point are, of course, made in cases where spending time outdoors is either limited or simply not possible due to things such as medical reasons or being incarcerated.)
33. Try to do at least one thing daily that will make your future better. This doesn’t have to be something massive by any means, but the impact such actions may have on the bigger picture of your life can be.
Countless options fall under this broad header. It could entail setting aside 15 minutes for daily mindful meditation, giving yourself an evening of self-care each week, getting up an hour earlier to exercise before starting the work day, breaking away from toxic people in your life, forgiving yourself (and/or others), doing volunteer work, finally tackling a project you’ve been procrastinating over, writing 1,000 words of your novel each night before bed, or anything else that stands to help make your future brighter, healthier, and/or more enjoyable.
34. Do not lose sight of a person’s intentions. Tony (my husband) has, as many of us do, certain wise statements that he says periodically. One of which is that a person’s intentions often matter as much (or more) as their words.
While it is entirely possible for someone to try and whitewash manipulation, gaslighting, deception, or other negative actions behind claiming that they had good intentions, it can often be quite easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and not value or understand when someone was genuinely doing something kind/caring/thoughtful with no malintent behind it.
Even when someone’s actions or words may seem (or be) negative, at times there can still be a kernel of positivity or goodness behind them. Not always, of course, but sometimes for sure.
Try to look at the situation through their eyes, not just your own. Assess the bigger picture of what led them to do or say what they did, and remember that almost no one will treat you the way you want every single time you engage with them.
35. Take pride in an honest day’s work. I do not care if you are a housekeeper, a brain surgeon, a kindergarten teacher, or the president of a Fortune 500 company. A hard, honest day’s worth is something to be proud of.
Respect your own work and, every bit as much so, that of other people. Someone’s worth is in no way measured primarily by their pay cheque or job title, and the moment you start believing that it is, you need to have a serious heart-to-heart with yourself and check that mindset pronto!
36. We are, as Ram Dass wisely said, all just walking each other home. In other words, go easy on your fellow human beings, try not to sweat the small stuff, and remember that everyone is fighting their own battles.
Most are trying and doing the best that they can with the skills, resources, knowledge, and abilities they presently possess. Be kind and civil, and never forget that death finds us all sooner or later.
37. It is not so much what happens to us in life, as how we respond to it that matters most. Exceedingly rare is the life lived without heartache, trauma, stress, challenges, or even the unthinkable occurring.
And while it can be scarily easy to get stuck in a state of victimhood or to use something unfortunate as an excuse to not move ahead in life, that is no way to live.
Vent, process grief, try to heal, learn from hardship, and embrace the remarkable resilience that is innate in just about all of us.
Believe me when I say that you can get through almost anything, no matter how dark the moment may seem, and that you never know just how strong you can be until difficult circumstances push you to the extreme.
38. Love.
Love often. Love hard. Love freely. Love wisely. Love for all the right reasons and none of the wrong. Love not because you expect it (or anything else) in return. Love when it is easy and, especially (circumstantially speaking, naturally) when it is hard.
Love because tomorrow is in no way guaranteed. Love for those times when you longed for it but came up empty or lacking.
Love because there is so much pain and hate in the world that could, if we finally collectively got our act together and smartened up, be greatly lessened by an abundance of love.
Love as an example to others. Love in remembrance of those who have loved you but are now gone. Love because it is free.
Love because it makes your life better. Love to help and to heal. Love for the ways in which it inspires both yourself and others.
Love who you are – or, if you cannot do so at present, vow to work at it until doing so comes as naturally as breathing air.
Love when times are good and when the going gets tough. Love for the joy it imparts and the way it makes both you and the receiver feel.
Love your interests, love places, love pets, love learning, love sharing, love the first crocus of spring and the last jewel-toned leaf of fall. Find so many things to love that you quickly lose track of them all.
Love because, for all we know, it might very well be the meaning of life. Or at the very least, a profound way to add meaning, worth, and beauty to our lives and those we bestow our love upon.
I look forward to many more truths yet to come
The moment I stop learning or stop growing as a person is the moment I should pack it all in right then and there.
The universe houses an infinite amount to be learned and experienced and none of us, no matter if we live to fifty, eighty, or a hundred and ten, can ever do more than lightly graze the merest of surfaces on those fronts.
And so it should be. Life is not forever – though our souls or the energy we are comprised of may be.
Like the title and main verse of the 1977 song We’re Here For a Good Time (Not a Long Time) by the Canadian rock band Trooper reminds us, our time on this planet is far too short not to try and make the best of things when can.
Embrace the positives, acknowledge and process the negatives, and try your darnedest to routinely have a good time on this wild ride called life.
And on that note, my sweet friends, I will wrap up here for now. The electric mixer is calling my name and before I can heed its beckoning, I have an annual birthday tarot/oracle card spread to lay out in front of my now 38-year-old eyes.
I will indeed be striving for a good time today and encourage you all to do the same, no matter how close or far away you currently are from your own birthday.
Thank you for being here with me and for the 2.5+ awesome years of blogging we have already shared together. I can hardly wait to experience the next year of my life with all of you as well.
Okay, it is time to go pull some cards, bake a scrumptious dessert, and bask in the glow of a rather sizable number of birthday candles. 😊🎴🎂
Thank you for sharing that wisdom Autumn. I also agree with Trooper, we really are here for a good time, not a long time. So have a good time, because the sun can’t shine everyday! I hope you are enjoying a sunny, happy birthday today!
Happy birthday Autumn! This is a lovely list of things that we should never lose sight of in life!
Happy, happy birthday, my dear friend! I’d wanted to come and spend a bit more time with you on your special day but the day has flown past yet again. That said, I remembered your birthday as you’d shared last year so you’ve got a spot in my calendar now!
I’m glad to have read this post of your 38 most important truths. How they ring true in my own heart as well! And it seems we have so much in common too. My childhood was one of great dysfunction and one through which I protected myself through extreme shyness and introversion. However, I’ve learned that only I can be responsible for my happiness and I *choose* to live a life of joy. That doesn’t mean I don’t take time to grieve or be upset. But I focus on the positive. I’m thankful you’ve learned these truths as well. I absolutely LOVED this post. Thanks for sharing this gift with me on your birthday.
Much love to you on this special day, Autumn! May your year to follow bring lots of Halloween-y fun and goodness your way.
Happy birthday Autumn! What a thoughtful and wise list of life lessons that we can all learn from, thank you for sharing.
I found myself nodding affirmatively at quite a few of your truths.
And yes, you are absolutely right in that only you can be responsible for your happiness and that living a happy life is a choice. Something I’m still learning at 60 years of age!
Oh, and wishing you the happiest of birthdays Autumn! xxx
Happy happy birthday my friend!! Wishing you a celebration worth of the amazing 38 years of your life!! These are ALL fantastic words of wisdom for sure and I’m STILL striving to achieve most if not all of these at 52 years! LOL As a fellow lover of Halloween and all things Autumn, I wonder how far apart we really are!? 🙂 HUGS
Happy Birthday, Autumn!! I found myself tearing up as I read through your truths – nodding along, smiling, thinking of my own mantras and reminders.
“Let it go.” – don’t sweat the small stuff
“How much will this matter in a week? A month? A year?”
“Joy is in the small things.”
“Is this the hill I want to die on?” – picking my battles
“Regret the things you did, not the things you didn’t do.”
“Say yes more often.” – I’m a “say no” person more often
“95% of people really don’t care what you wear/look like/do. People are more wrapped up in themselves than in you.”
“If X [whatever thing is driving you nuts, bothering you, irritating you] is the worst thing that happens to you all day, then you have a pretty good life.”
“This isn’t about you.” – a self-talk mantra, about letting people talk about themselves and not making it about myself.
“Be more kind.”
BTW, exciting news!!! I finished your jacket last night 🙂 I will be wearing it once this week (likely on Wed) so I can model it, and will have a big post up about it then. And then…it’s coming to you! I hope you like it – I added a “secret spider” in one of the pockets for you.
I do hope you enjoyed a very special birthday and thank you for these very wise and very special words. This post must have taken such a long time to put together and I really enjoyed reading it and wouldn’t disagree with a single thing. It took me until I retired to truly realise that if I wasn’t happy or enjoying life then it is up to me to do something about it. Sometimes things are very easy to say but very hard to do. Anyway your advice is truly special thank you xx
I hope you had a wonderful birthday! And thank you for sharing so much wisdom with us
Belated Birthday wishes Autumn,many thanks for your inspirational post,a serious health scare 5 years ago led me to embracing life more fully and to appreciating each day,you’ve described this far more eloquently than I ever could.
This is beautiful and so wise – I admire you. Xo
I’m so sorry I missed your birthday, but my sincerest belated wishes are sent to you now! I love your thoughts on your 38th special day and each one has an important value – especially eating ice cream for dinner! Hah! I hope you managed to do just that on your special day! Ice cream makes everything better somehow. I’ll be 78 on my birthday in September, and I’ve learned to stop doing what’s expected of me and do exactly what I want to do now! Time’s running out and I don’t want to miss any of the fun I’m able to have while I’m here! Columbus took a chance, and so will I! I hope your birthday was a good one for you in spite of what came later. Happy belated birthday sweet friend! May you enjoy many more to come!