things I've learned
Jul. 8th, 2007 02:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyHappy Birthday to me!
So, something that I started doing when I was... twelve or thirteen, was to make a list of things I had learned, and add one every birthday. I lost the original list years ago, but figured I'd start again from scratch.
1) Bad times give you more faith than good ones.
2) Thrift stores rock.
3) Reinvention of self is possible, but the past never leaves us.
4) Marriage is very complicated. In fact, love is very complicated. In fact, relationships of any kind between human beings are very complicated.
5) People rarely change.
6) It's best to get your driver's license when you're a teenager, while you still believe you're immortal.
7) Life is too short to date people who don't respect you, not eat what you want, or wear uncomfortable shoes.
8) Diets are an evil invention of the beauty industry.
9) If someone you don't know says that they want to meet you within 24 hours, chances are, they'll cancel.
10) The pear shape (big hips/butt, smaller chest/arms) is the most common figure among American women.
11) I'm capable of surviving a lot more than I knew.
12) A good book is still one of the greatest pleasures in my life.
13) I have faults. They include, but are not limited to: messiness, excessive desire for control, desire to evade responsibility, and a complete inability to remember the titles and artists of songs I like.
14) If you buy shoes second-hand, you should spray them with something that kills fungus and bacteria before you wear them.
15) It's a lot more convenient, in the long run, to buy clothes that don't need to be handwashed, dry-cleaned, or ironed. Also, many clothes claim they will die in the washing machine or dryer that actually do not.
16) Self-care is really, really important. Everyone, however busy, is worth fifteen minutes a day of doing something that makes them happy.
17) Beware people promising quick fixes or easy answers to difficult problems.
18) Practice safer sex. It can be annoying, but it works out to be way LESS annoying than the other possibilities when you average things.
19) Some number of the plans you make won't work out. If you accept this in advance, it won't bother you so much.
20) Drinking water is important for Honeys.
21) You cannot control what other people think of you. For this reason, it's important to focus on living in such a way that you can look at yourself in the mirror comfortably, rather than in a way that will make people like you.
22) The glass is already broken. In other words, things are impermanent - objects, homes, relationships, people, even data.
23) It's more important to do what you love than to make a lot of money - as long as you can still eat.
24) All cats do not get along.
25) Positive reinforcement is the best way to get people to do what you want them to do, but there are no guarantees.
26) The universe is not under my control.
27) It's important to be able to enjoy your own company. Learning the difference between solitude and loneliness is a wonderful thing.
28) A college education is no guarantee of employment.
29) If you have a question, the Internet probably has the answer. But you may not be able to find it, and even if you do, it may not be right.
30) It's possible to live without chocolate.
And one to grow on: The quality of the sex you have is more important than the quantity.
And here's this famous list again: http://www.pamelaredmondsatran.com/articles.php
Tell me something you've learned.
So, something that I started doing when I was... twelve or thirteen, was to make a list of things I had learned, and add one every birthday. I lost the original list years ago, but figured I'd start again from scratch.
1) Bad times give you more faith than good ones.
2) Thrift stores rock.
3) Reinvention of self is possible, but the past never leaves us.
4) Marriage is very complicated. In fact, love is very complicated. In fact, relationships of any kind between human beings are very complicated.
5) People rarely change.
6) It's best to get your driver's license when you're a teenager, while you still believe you're immortal.
7) Life is too short to date people who don't respect you, not eat what you want, or wear uncomfortable shoes.
8) Diets are an evil invention of the beauty industry.
9) If someone you don't know says that they want to meet you within 24 hours, chances are, they'll cancel.
10) The pear shape (big hips/butt, smaller chest/arms) is the most common figure among American women.
11) I'm capable of surviving a lot more than I knew.
12) A good book is still one of the greatest pleasures in my life.
13) I have faults. They include, but are not limited to: messiness, excessive desire for control, desire to evade responsibility, and a complete inability to remember the titles and artists of songs I like.
14) If you buy shoes second-hand, you should spray them with something that kills fungus and bacteria before you wear them.
15) It's a lot more convenient, in the long run, to buy clothes that don't need to be handwashed, dry-cleaned, or ironed. Also, many clothes claim they will die in the washing machine or dryer that actually do not.
16) Self-care is really, really important. Everyone, however busy, is worth fifteen minutes a day of doing something that makes them happy.
17) Beware people promising quick fixes or easy answers to difficult problems.
18) Practice safer sex. It can be annoying, but it works out to be way LESS annoying than the other possibilities when you average things.
19) Some number of the plans you make won't work out. If you accept this in advance, it won't bother you so much.
20) Drinking water is important for Honeys.
21) You cannot control what other people think of you. For this reason, it's important to focus on living in such a way that you can look at yourself in the mirror comfortably, rather than in a way that will make people like you.
22) The glass is already broken. In other words, things are impermanent - objects, homes, relationships, people, even data.
23) It's more important to do what you love than to make a lot of money - as long as you can still eat.
24) All cats do not get along.
25) Positive reinforcement is the best way to get people to do what you want them to do, but there are no guarantees.
26) The universe is not under my control.
27) It's important to be able to enjoy your own company. Learning the difference between solitude and loneliness is a wonderful thing.
28) A college education is no guarantee of employment.
29) If you have a question, the Internet probably has the answer. But you may not be able to find it, and even if you do, it may not be right.
30) It's possible to live without chocolate.
And one to grow on: The quality of the sex you have is more important than the quantity.
And here's this famous list again: http://www.pamelaredmondsatran.com/articles.php
Tell me something you've learned.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-07-08 06:24 pm (UTC)Happy birthday!
Something I've learned... You probably do not need that thing you've decided you just HAVE TO HAVE. Think on it.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-08 06:47 pm (UTC)Bonus: two rules for making poly work
Date: 2007-07-08 07:32 pm (UTC)2) Don't stick your dick in crazy.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-08 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-08 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-08 09:47 pm (UTC)Something I've learned: Most of the things you worried about five years ago are so over that you don't even remember them. Try not to give too much mental space to small worries and transient problems.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-08 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-09 02:00 am (UTC)Something I've learned:
It's good to resolve to do what I say I'm going to do. It works a lot better when I remember that this means not only keeping agreements, but also carefully considering agreements before I make them.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-09 12:22 pm (UTC)Happy birthday
Date: 2007-07-09 02:18 pm (UTC)Thanks!