55 Things I Know at 55

For her 35th birthday, my niece shared a list of 35 things she knows. I thought it was a great idea, so I made a list of 55 things I know, or think I know, for my 55th birthday. They say that with age comes wisdom. With age comes time to learn the wisdom of others and to learn from your own mistakes.

1. Nothing beats determination. Try, try again. Never give up.
2. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. - C.S. Lewis
3. One of the worst things you can do to yourself is compare yourself to someone else.
4. Forgiveness frees the forgiver. Hanging onto a grudge is like letting someone live rent free in your head.
5. I got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans. Try to fit the pieces together but perfection is my enemy. And on my own I'm so clumsy but on Your shoulders I can see I'm free to be me and You're free to be You. - Francesca Battistelli
6. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
7. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. - Maya Angelou.
8. I am a work in progress. God is not done with me yet!
9. There is something magical about mornings. Nature awakens. It's a fresh start. It's not so "peopley" outside.
10. We all make mistakes. If you get a second chance, make the most of it.
11. If you live without something you really enjoy long enough (e.g. ice cream), you won't even miss it.
12. I don't have all the answers. I don't have to have all the answers. I can be content with not knowing the unknowable.
13. I don't have to prove that I am right. When I know that I'm right, it is enough.
14. It is a waste of time and energy to argue with a person who thinks they know everything.
15. I don't need physical pampering (manicures, facials, massages and the like). But I gotta have coffee.
16. I know what the Lord requires of me: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before him.
17. Protect your skin and eyes: slip, slop, slap and wrap. Clothes, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses.
18. Only floss the teeth you want to keep.
19. Blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge. If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself. - Paulo Coelho
20. The diversity of species that inhabit the Earth is astounding. Take the time to learn about just a few of them.
21. I have never regretted being kind or patient.
22. No one likes to be micromanaged. If you don't trust people to do a job, do it yourself.
23. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. —Dr. Seuss
24. People were not meant to be couch potatoes. 
25. I am not athletic but I figured out how good it feels to push myself physically, to prove my endurance. Endorphins!
26. Some of the most useful inventions were created by mistake.
27. A smile costs nothing and makes a world of difference. We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. - Mother Teresa. A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. - Phyllis Diller
28. It is our responsibility as human beings to take care of the earth and the creatures that inhabit it.
29. When I make a mistake in Microsoft Excel, I can click the "undo" icon and reverse my last action. Real life is not like that. You can't unbreak a promise or take back careless words.
30. Children are a blessing but you don't have to have them to be happy. A good marriage is a blessing but you don't have to be married to be happy. Live your life.
31. Our culture idealizes extroversion but extroversion is not better than introversion. Both types have strengths and weaknesses.
32. Don't dwell on your mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
33. The other lane almost always appears to be moving faster. Most of the time, it is not.
34. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
35. I learn more from failure than from success. Perhaps because failure is humbling.
36. When I enrolled in college, I thought about becoming a psychologist because I love learning about the human mind but I didn't want to have to talk to people. I thought about becoming a journalist because I love to write but I didn't want to have to talk to people. Thank goodness I have many interests because I found a livelihood that was right for me.
37. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone - like talking to people.
38. We should listen to hear and not to respond (I took this one from my niece's list). Hold back on giving unsolicited advice or telling your own story.
39. Don't automatically assume that other people share your values.
40. You don't have to put two spaces at the end of a sentence as I was taught.  Old habits die hard.
41. Singing is a powerful memory technique. Every time I climb over rocks on a hike, a commercial from my childhood pops into my head. Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks. Every time.
42. True beauty comes from within: a gentle and quiet spirit.
43. Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.
44. Confession is good for the soul.
45. Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.
46. Google and other search engines taught me that my thoughts are not unique. 
47. If you experience cognitive dissonance, it may be time to change your beliefs.
48. No matter how old you are, you still feel like the same young person inside. 
49. Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. - John C. Maxwell
50. Reading "A Purpose Driven Life" did not show me my purpose. I found my reason for being in five words of Jesus: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
51. When you believe in your values and yourself, you don't have to worry about what other people think. Even insults lose their power to sting.
52. The ability to say no to yourself in the face of temptation is a super power.
53. The best bucket list I have ever seen is a short and simple one: 1. Move to the beach, 2. Have no regrets.
54. I know my Redeemer lives. Let all creation testify, let this life within me cry, I know my Redeemer lives! Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. - Nicole Mullen.
55. Not one day is promised, not one day. Don't take your loved ones for granted.

And here's another one to grow on - life is a journey not a competition!