Magical Moment 566, "30 Year Old Wisdom"

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I hardly ever get carded anymore. There is a small laugh line near my mouth that doesn’t go away anymore when I am not smiling. I definitely can’t lose weight as easily as I used to. Traiterous strands of my mousy brown hair are turning gray already—genetics that I blame on my Mexican grandmother—so I dye my hair to a level 6 brunette. Sounds like I turned 30 recently! In my cynical moments, I consider my 20’s a total wash, but the hindsight and lessons learned just might be worth it.

1. ‘No’ is a complete sentence.

2. You don’t OWE anybody anything. Doesn’t matter who they are.

3. I finally understand what God says about being powerless over our own sin. Nuff said.

4. Truth is always, Always, ALWAYS your friend, no matter how painful it might be.

5. Forcing your own truth onto someone else can result in disaster.

6. Giving love to get love is not really love at all.

7. Criticism, judgment and general bad behavior covered in love, isn’t love either.

8. My cousin Renee’ once encouraged me, “Don’t show love. BE love.” Good stuff.

9. Everybody has their own process. Stand up for your own. Refrain from interfering in the process of others.

10. You can read all the books, follow all the rules, and say and do all the right things. Real peace and joy comes with authentic relationship, first with God, then with others.

11. Find a friend that makes you laugh, that you can be silly and ridiculous with. Once a week, maybe over a pitcher of margaritas, laugh until your abs hurt.

12. Find a sport or exercise routine that you enjoy and stick with it. You will look better, feel better, your self-confidence will increase, and you can afford the calories in your strawberry margarita while you laugh with friends. I heart spin!

13. If you suck at Biology, swallow your pride and get a tutor. Next semester, when you tackle Microbiology, it will be a snap!

14. Go back to school, jump out of a plane, cancel your cable and read instead. . .pick something. You CAN do it!

15. No matter how much you beg, bribe, cajole or threaten, you cannot force a two year old to eat when they don’t want to. Battles must be chosen wisely, or the two year old will choose you.

16. Same goes for the two year old pooping in the potty. Sigh.

17. Buy a pair of jeans that make you look and feel amazing. You can dress them up or down, and always feel confident. Mine are Buckle Madison Stretch Boot.

18. Know who you are. Know your worth. Don’t settle.

19. Keep in mind the bigger picture. Take one day at a time. That is not an oxymoron.

20. Just because you have a list of 19 doesn’t mean you HAVE to have a #20. Don’t worry what other people might think if you only have 19 ;)

Here’s to my 30’s. Cheers!

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More of Regina's posts on my blog:

Legos

Be Your Own Hero

This is a song I wrote based on her words:

Where We Walked Together

She also writes her own blog, She Lives in the Light.

This is a guest post by my older sister, Regina. She's posted several times on my blog before, discovering that writing can be healing and a great outlet. This post is entitled, "30 Year Old Wisdom," - just remember, she's a year and 11 months older than I am! :)

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