In honor of turning 38, which for some reason feels much older than 37, I decided to do a list of 38 things I’ve learned. Some of these lessons are deep, some of them have been hard to learn, and some of them are just funny and ridiculous. That’s me in a nutshell though.. sometimes I’m deep and other times I am funny and ridiculous.

These lessons are listed in no particular order of importance. They are simply listed in the order in which they came to my brain, which my brain thinking of 38 things at one time is a feat worth celebrating!

38. Queso, cake, and pasta are the coping trinity when it comes to solving any problem life throws your way.

37. Quality is much more important when it comes to the people in your life than quantity.

36. Perspective is everything.

35. Time doesn’t heal all wounds; Acceptance, love, and weekly therapy sessions do.

34. No is a complete sentence. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.

33. Music heals.

32. There is always something to be grateful for.

31. Life is both beautiful and brutal and sometimes it’s both at the same time.

30. The relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship you’ll ever have.

29. Blasting a good song in your car can instantly turn your day around.

28. Laughing until you cry is one of the best feelings in the world.

27. Your time and energy are finite and valuable; Spend them wisely.

26. It’s impossible to be liked by everyone, so stop trying.

25. The people that feel like home when you’re with them; those are your people.

24. The valleys of life don’t last forever

23. Mindlessly scrolling through TikTok is self-care at it’s finest

22. We are all far stronger than we think

21. Don’t listen to criticism from someone you wouldn’t ask for advice

20. In some people’s story, you will always be the villain.

19. Nature speaks, if you’re willing to listen.

18. Don’t ever let anyone tell you who you are

17. Every doctor’s office has the same uncomfortable patterned chairs and flower prints; the world of doctor office decor could use a serious upgrade.

16. Yelling at cars is a totally acceptable way to feel your feelings.

15. Living to protect yourself from fear, hurt, sadness, etc only keeps you from experiencing joy, connection, and peace.

14. Walking around a bookstore counts as cardio.

13. Geese are mean and angry; avoid them. This goes for all geese in any region of the country. I don’t know why they are so mean and angry, but they are.

12. It’s not your job to make anyone else ok or happy

11. Hurt people hurt people and we’ve all been hurt people that have hurt people.

10. If you want to know yourself, sit in silence with yourself and let your soul speak.

9. You will be too much for some people and not enough for other people, so just be you!

8. You can’t get through life alone

7. What we dislike in others is most often a reflection of what we dislike in ourselves.

6. No one who truly loves you will ever require you to abandon yourself for them.

5. Bad things happen. It’s not because you’re cursed, don’t go to church, don’t pray enough, aren’t a good person, have something wrong with you, etc. It’s because that’s life.

4. Being kind doesn’t mean you have to be a human doormat; You can be kind and have boundaries.

3. Animals are the best listeners.

2. Dance like no one is watching because they probably aren’t and if they are.. who cares!

1. You can’t outrun life, your feelings, your truth, your problems, etc. Running only makes your feet and body tired.