Look ma! No hands!

Two in one day, how lucky for you, readers! I started out with 4 people following my blog and now I have 16, so I have to keep the interest up. Here's another blog, straight out of the challenge...

Day 24: Something I've Learned

In almost 28 years, I've learned a lot of things, so when I first read this topic, I thought along the same lines of a friend of mine doing this challenge... "Really? Something I've learned? I've learned a lot in 28 years...what kind of topic is this?" I talked a lot about learning lessons in the regrets blog, but I'm sure I can come up with something(s) I've learned for this one. You know all that book learnin' I did at Friendship Christian and Cumberland, as well as some real world experience has taught me at least something...we hope, anyway.

1. I've learned that 2+2=4, unless you're doing algebra, then it could equal x, y, z, or even an imaginary number. That's another thing altogether that I've learned. There IS such a thing as an imaginary number.

2. I've learned that sometimes stupid things take up space in your brain's memory bank, such as a childhood phone number (410-538-6947...my phone number when I was 5!) but other, more important things (like remembering to text your best friend on her birthday, which happens to fall conveniently on the same day every year for her whole life and as long as you've known her) don't stick.

3. When I was about 24, I learned that I can no longer eat whatever I want with no repercussions. I learned this lesson the hard way.

4. I've learned that no matter how hard you try, not everyone is going to like you. I've also learned that the people who don't like you when you're totally, 100% yourself aren't people you should want in your life anyway.

5. I've learned that, while it's great to have my own identity, I truly love being "JP's wife" and "Lily's mommy". I will always wear those two titles proudly.

6. I've learned that no matter how airtight and absolute you think a plan is that you've made...life is probably not going to happen that way. I've learned it's much easier to form a general idea of what you want out of life or a particular situation, and the rest of the time just go with the natural flow of life. Crap happens and plans get messed up, and instead of letting it ruin your day, life, whatever, you just kind of have to go back to square one, assess the damage, and move in the new direction.

7. I've learned that I may not be the smartest, prettiest, thinnest person in the world, but the most awesome man on the planet loves me and THAT is all that matters.

8. I've learned that sometimes, the best approach to life is to sit down, shut up, and strap yourself in for the ride. Other times, the best approach is go to "Look ma! No hands" while blindfolded.

9. I've learned that acne doesn't always go away when you're no longer a teenager. Yay.

10. I've learned that life is what you make it. If you let the bad stuff get to you and drag you down, you'll never find happiness. You've got to take the bad stuff and learn from it. It's important to realize that sometimes bad stuff is going to happen. No matter what you do, it'll happen-- you'll get sick, have an unexpected bill, whatever the case may be. It's how you approach these issues that determines what kind of person you'll let life make you. Those people that always feel sorry for themselves and make themselves out to be the victims of their situations instead of owning their situations, are the most unhappy people in the world. I don't want to spend my time dwelling on the bad.

11. I've learned that I had no idea what love really was until I had Lily. The love I have for her is immeasurable, and the love I have for JP has grown exponentially.

12. I've learned that baby poop is no joke. It still to this day amazes me how so much can come out of something so small, sometimes.

13. I've learned that there are people in this world who are just really, truly, honestly and deeply bad. Likewise, I've learned that not everyone is out to get me, and there are more good, honest, and truthful people in the world than bad ones.

14. Just as I've learned that not everyone will like you, I've also learned that you can't please everyone all the time. What matters is, at the end of the day, you make choices that are good ones for you and your family.

15. I've learned that there will always be someone in my life who will disagree with me, just for the sake of argument or being different. If I say I love Dr. Pepper, they'll say Coke is better. If I say the sky is a beautiful shade of cerulean blue, they'll contend it's more of a greyish robin's egg blue., and that they've seen prettier. If I say I think Lily weighs about 22lbs, they'll say no, it's probably closer to 23lbs and 9.25 ounces. I've learned you just have to smile, nod, and continue on.

16. I've learned that Wal-Mart bathrooms are the nastiest places on earth. I know this is a glaring generalization but from what I've seen, it's true. Don't get me started on the bathrooms at the Wal-Mart where I work...that's a whole different blog post.