Today, I enter a new decade.
To those reading who are years and decades ahead of me, I have only two things to say to you whether I know you personally or not:
1. Thank you for being living proof that we all only grow more beautiful with age. You all seem to know exactly who you are and are stellar at being comfortable with yourselves, the good and the bad. One of the greatest gifts in my life is having friends who are walking a few stages of life ahead of me, and graciously holding my hand through mine, offering both wisdom, prayer, and lots of laughs.
2. You were right. About everything.
To those reading who are a bit behind me, here's what I'd like to share:
1. Make some older friends.
2. Dreams and goals are wonderful to have, but don't let the reaching get in the way of being.
3. And speaking of dreams and goals, don't fret if you don't have any at the moment. As you continue learning about your unique self and discovering your strengths and gifts, you'll develop some passion for something at some point. Keep trying some different things, voluntary or paid, full time or part time. Be around different kinds of people. Dabble in your various interests to find out if those interests run deeper in your heart and soul than you thought. And don't be afraid or embarrassed if your current dreams seem to be fading. That may happen. It's all going to work out beautifully.
4. Expect less from yourself and more from the Lord
5. Don't take yourself too seriously; laugh at yourself. You'll be more relatable and people will like you better for it.
6. Expect that you'll make mistakes and leave it at that. Don't be afraid of them. The aftermath of our mistakes is how our souls are shaped. These are defining moments that just add to our faith resumes.
7. Be open to change. Change of mind, change of heart, change of self. I went through all three in my mid-twenties when I reached a critical life decision. The after-fact of that is realizing the world is not, as I had once thought, black and white. There is a lot of grey area, and our gentle, loving Father lives in the grey area, too. He's there.
8. It's not our job to change each other. It's a simple formula, really. You don't have to agree with someones behavior to embrace them with love and respect. We are all climbing our own mountain, some steeper at points than others. Don't presume to know the grade of someones mountain. Just know they're likely doing the best they can, just like you, and be there for them. Simple as that.
9. Seriously, laugh. Laugh hard and every day. My first wrinkles were crows feet at the corners of my eyes. I love them. They're the trace of 30 years of laughing. If you've had a rotten day and haven't laughed once by bedtime, please email me. I'll give you some material.
Tomorrow my love and I are celebrating our 8 year wedding anniversary, and since he's taking the day off so we can celebrate as a family, so will I. See you Wednesday!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
~Chelsea
This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.
