37 Things I've Learned So Far...

I thought it would be fun as I celebrate my birthday to list a few things I’ve learned in the 37 years I’ve been on the planet.
Most of these are in random order so if my thoughts on customer service is above love of friends it’s just my process and not order of importance.

1. Children are the biggest blessing – and the biggest job – you will ever have.
2. Finding Mr. Right (or Miss Right) might take time, but it’s totally worth it.
3. When you marry someone you also marry his or her family (luckily for me, I married a great man with a great family).
4. Having a job you love and want to go to every day is great, but it would be even better if you were paid a decent salary to do it.
5. Everyone wants to tell his or her life story … if you’re willing to sit down and listen to it.
6. Treat customer service workers as you want them to treat you because you never know when that might be the person you have to do your business with tomorrow in your own work setting.
7. It’s important to know how to count back money without using a calculator.
8. Getting an email is nice, but getting a letter in the mail is nicer.
9. Children will pick up every thing you say… even the cuss words.
10. The best partners are the ones who lift you up when you need lifting, cheer you on when you need cheering and leave you alone when you need quiet time.
11. You might never cook as well as your Mama, but you can still put a good meal on the table.
12. The closest family members don’t have to be the ones that you were born into.
13. You never know when the words you say might come back to haunt you.
14. Be thankful every day for the blessings you have because there is someone near you who would give anything to have them.
15. You can never sweeten iced unsweet tea (at least to my taste).
16. Friends can be the best-adopted family you can have.
17. Friends may come and go, but your love and fond memories of them stay long after.
18. Therapy is a good thing.
19. Parents are only human and all of us make mistakes with our children.
20. Children can make you smile when they do something that makes them cry.
21. The best things in life can be right under your nose (or in your office) so look around and see what’s out there.
22. There is nothing better than spending your weekend vegging out with someone you love, good food, a few newspapers and some quality music.
23. Great relationships can be damaged by topics such as politics and religion… it’s better to agree to disagree than to belabor a point.
24. Everybody has a right to love in his or her life and no one has the right to take that away.
25. Single parents are true unsung heroes. Parenting is hard enough when you have a partner to help.
26. Crying through your baby shower is OK as long as you have a group of great women there to support you.
27. You can rise above your raising… just because you were born into poverty (or into any kind of adversity) doesn’t mean you have to stay that way.
28. You can’t solve money problems with money.
29. You can never find anything to buy when you have a cash flow, but see plenty of things you want when you don’t have a dime to spare.
30. You will meet people in your life that will change who you are as a person. Be thankful for them even if the experience doesn’t seem worthwhile in that moment.
31. A wedding doesn’t make a marriage. Two people make a marriage.
32. Giving up control is hard, but is so worth it.
33. Losing a parent to death is hard, but losing a parent by choice is harder.
34. Hearing your child say, “Mommy, I love you” for the first time can make you cry.
35. You can never hear your husband say “I Love You” too many times in one day.
36. Time certainly does flies the older you get.
37. Having wonderful family and friends and healthy, happy children are among the biggest blessings you can have.