Ten things

I turned 43 this past week. It's weird to get older. More reflection, more determination, more awareness of how quickly time goes by.In celebration of this particular birthday, I have decided to write ten things that I know.1. Math has helped me very little in my daily life. Maybe that's not true. Math facts are super valuable. But the rest of it? Not really useful at all. The best thing I learned was how to write a check in 7th grade.2. Women should wear heels all the time. If you don't know how to walk in them, buy a pair and practice. Your backside will instantly look amazing. For real. Can you even think of one outfit that isn't improved with a high heel? No, you can't. Even Miss America knows swimming suits look better with heels. If they weren't so ridiculously impossible to wear in the sand, I guarantee I'd wear them on the beach. Sigh.3. And while I'm on the topic of shoes...Birkenstocks are ugly. They were ugly when I was a kid, and they are ugly now.4. Anyone can cook. I don't understand when people say they don't cook? Do you eat?? If so...you need to learn how to cook. It's a skill, and one that is underutilized today. Go to the store, buy some groceries, and follow a recipe. You don't even need to buy a cookbook anymore! Get online and scroll through the billions of possibilities. Some things will be delicious, and some will be gross. I once made a ham casserole and accidentally used sweetened condensed milk instead of the evaporated milk. It was SUPER sweet. Gag. Keep trying. Anyone can become a fantastic cook, but not without practice.5. Activewear doesn't look as good as you think it does. I think we have beat the legging trend to death. Can we all start wearing real clothes again? Let's begin with a real bra. Then let's add jeans (gasp!) and an actual shirt. The only other option is that we all start jazzercising our way through life. Because truly, that's what we are dressed like.6. Confidence is a necessity. People who get offended easily usually have a serious lack of confidence. When you know who you are, and are comfortable in your own skin, it makes what others think or say irrelevant. It's actually liberating. Do what you love to do, and who cares what everyone else thinks!7. Listening is more important than talking. When I was a kid, a bigger boy called me "Mouth" because I talked all the time. I hated it, but not enough to be quiet. In high school, my math teacher kept moving me around the room in the hopes that I would quit chatting with the other kids. It didn't work. I loved to talk! Now, however, I have found much greater value in listening. Listening leads to more understanding, better relationships, and maybe even learning something new! How great is that? We should all listen more and talk less.8. Names are really important. One of the best ways to make a person feel invisible is to not know their name. Each of us wants to be seen. I think that's why so many people desire fame...to feel known. At Samantha's senior high school dinner last year, all the kids were given a little ornament with their name on it. She opened hers. DALTON. The ornament said Dalton. It was just a mixup, of course. We laughed it off. But I wonder if she truly laughed it off? Does she feel invisible? Unseen?9. Yoga is amazing. I've said it before, but I really need to say it again. In my younger years, I made fun of it, saying it wasn't really a workout. That's crazy. Good yoga is so hard, a great workout, and great for my mental health. There's just something about nose breathing that is truly magical. If you haven't tried it yet...you should.10. Reputations can be dangerous. Good or bad, they make it hard to change. In fact, a reputation can make you feel that there is no need to change. That's no good. I live in an area that has "excellent" schools. The reputation of the school district keeps property values high and brings a constant stream of new families. Good, right?But everything isn't perfect. The school district has problems, which is normal and expected. Unfortunately, its reputation makes it difficult to even TALK about problems, never mind trying to fix them. Dangerous. Success comes as you keep changing and improving...not as you pat yourself on the back for being awesome. Watch those reputations, folks.