The best way to share birthday cheer is to share advice no one (really) wants to hear. -me
What would you tell yourself a year ago? What would you change if you could? I don’t know that I would change anything about the 26th year of my life, but I do know that I’ve learned (and relearned) a few things along the way. Might as well mark the passage of time and celebrate my birthday with a few little tidbits I’ve learned along the way.
1. First and always first – pray and read the word more. This is the one thing that you can never have in excess. Rejoice in that!
2. Don’t stress so much!
3. Celebrate every milestone! Happy 10 months!
4. Be kind to others. You’ll never regret being kind.
5. Remind yourself of the grace that is given to you, and live in that truth. How can you give grace to an imperfect world if you think that the Father withholds grace from you? You can’t. Remind yourself of the grace that is given to you.
6. Go to sleep early!
7. Stay up late and talk to the people you love!
9. Work hard and serve others.
10. Remember the rules of contentment. (11-15)
11. Never allow yourself to complain, even about the weather.
12. Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or place.
13. Never compare your lot with another’s.
14. Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.
15. Never dwell on tomorrow–remember that tomorrow is God’s, not ours.
16. Plan your goodbyes well and tell people what they mean to you. Eulogize people while they are alive. It will be hard- but always always worth it.
17. Expect to meet a lot of new people and don’t limit the depth of the relationship based on the amount of time you expect to spend with them. The goodbye will be harder the deeper the friendship, but the hurt is always sweeter than the regret of not getting to connect with people in a deep and meaningful way.
18. Do hard things. And when you do them- don’t be surprised when they’re hard.
19. Be courageous in the face of anxiety.
20. When you want to laugh – laugh LOUD.
21. Tell someone when you’re sad.
22. Use ALL the language you possess as you acquire it. No waiting. Go for it.
23. Don’t ask what unknown food is until after you’ve already eaten it. Trust me. Usually it will taste great. And usually you will not want to know beforehand.
24. Never go somewhere empty handed. Bring food. A gift. A note. Something tangible to say ‘thank you’.
25. TRY to learn when to say “no” to certain things. (but #noRegrets AM I RIGHT?!?!?!)
26. Thankfulness is a cure for all kinds of heartache. From homesickness to loneliness. From anxious hello’s and tearful goodbyes. Be thankful for what you have, and you will remember all that has been given to you and entrusted to you.
(And *bonus* for all of you who made it this far)
27. While you never “technically” know when you’ve hit the middle of your life because you don’t know when you’re going to die, statistically speaking you’re still pretty young if you’re in your 20’s. Let this be my final advice to myself – don’t think so far ahead that you think and feel that you’re older than you are.
Daughter Among Sons 
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