Things I know about life: At 24, 28 and 35

Things I think I know about life at the age of 24

1. I know less than I did at age 18, and even less than I did at age 9.

2. That it’s all about who you know, not what you know.

3. Good doesn’t always conquer evil.

4. You can’t stalk somebody and make them love you. (I’ll still try though)

5. People stop being honest after kindergarten. (even if they are, you don’t want to hear it.)

6. It’s all about timing.

7. The only people that like you are people you could careless for, and telling somebody you like them will only work to make them no longer like you.

8. Life is not like a movie. (wait! Did I just say that? It’s not true…It is true…It’s not!!…It is!! Stop being honest, it’s all about lying to yourself. When Harry met sally was real, REAL, I TELL YOU!!)

9. Most people are fucked up, yet still good at heart.

10. Mostly I know that I don’t know anything at all, I am still learning and growing everyday, and the more I mess up in life, the more I know, the braver I get, and I’m glad I get to do that.

What My Mom knows about life.

I know that life is fun, I’m blessed with great health, that I don’t take anything for granted and I love my children, it’s just that life is wonderful and I love getting up every morning. And if you are lucky enough, you’ll have a partner to share that with.

What I think I know about life at 28

1. I still know less then I did at 24, and less than I did at 18, and a lot less than I knew at age 9, because, at 9 years old, I knew how life worked. But, I do know what I don’t know, so, I know I have a lot to learn.

2. It is about who you know, But, I also think it is about what you know now, too. I wish more than anything in the world that I was smarter, went to a real college, and blah, blah, blah…but, the truth is, This is it. So, I can bitch all day, or I can go to school, or work with what I have. People only know what you show them.

3. I still agree, good doesn’t always conquer evil, but I still would rather be a kind and consistent person. I always liked the saying, “You get more bees with honey.” Whether it’s true or not. Not to say I’m sweet, I’m a little sour just like anyone else. Bitter is funny to me, but, never when it’s harmful to others.

4. It’s still fucking true, You can’t stalk someone and make them love you, what the fuck!!

5. I would change the age to the third grade, people stop being honest after the third grade.

6. It’s all in the timing…I have nothing more to add.

7. It’s still true, the only people that I like are borderline indifferent to me, and the same goes for boys that actually like me…I’m like “You like me?..Gross!! What the fuck is wrong with you?” Then on the rare occation you both like each other, there’s probably still something strange going on. So you just say “fuck it”, enjoy it while it lasts. Life is about stories.

8. No, Life is not really like a movie, but, it can kinda be, sometimes. Honestly, I don’t know if I do agree anymore with that statement. My life had been pretty movie like this year, like a fucked up romantic comedy. I’m just waiting for my happy ending. Will it happen?? Will it!! It won’t, but, I’ll write it someday.

9. Not Most people, ALL people are fucked up, and in this wonderful comical way, and it’s just about finding those people that are fucked up in that special way that helps you learn and grow, that doesn’t hurt or hinder you in life. I’m just learning who those people are now, and making sure too build a cozy little nest with them.

10. Life is about learning, growing and proving you are so much more than anything you ever believed. Being as kind as you can be, laughing as much as you can. Trying to not sweat all the bullshit that life will toss at you. There’s a lot of shit, but, we are tough cookies.

New things

1. Show up- I learned that the best thing you can do in life is to show up, and show up on time. People love when you take the time out of your day to go to their shows, parties, you name it. It’s a little thing, but, it’s really not to the person you came for, unless they’re a dick.

2. Try to be an “All the little things” person

A person that always says please, thank you, opens doors, offers assistance, buys dinner, buys drinks, smiles at strangers, is kind, you can call when your sad, happy, bored, sick, I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

3. Life is about Dancing, Music and Being fucking Silly and making an ass out of yourself once in a while, or all the time. I prefer all the time.

4. Life is about Love, all kinds of Love. Love of family, friends, and that really super gay kinda Love, it’s about being open and not being fearful. Going into things blindly and with your heart on your sleave…(I don’t buy my own bullshit though.)

I’m scared shitless of the real love, I’m just saying, I know it’s a cool part of life.)

5. Towels should be folded in three, they look prettier that way.

6. Nothing makes me smile more than a mixed cd.

7. Tacos are the best food group

8. Nothing is more sexy than a sense of humor.

9. Back tickles make everything a little bit better

10. I want to love most people, but, hate that most people won’t love me. Now that’s a tragic truth.

Alright, so that’s what I know, or think I fucking know…I’m no fucking Doctor of life or some shit.

What I know about life at 35

1.) I finally know that everything I know will most likely change, and that makes me happy. The ability to know something and unlearn it makes me really excited.

2.) Life is what you make it, and if you work hard and put yourself out there over and over again and work super hard to make yourself great at something and risk failing over and over, but learn each time then good things will happen, but yes, also surround yourself with great people.

3.) I don’t know if good and evil really exists, (there are shitty people and things, but it’s hard to really know how those things became that way.) I just know what makes me happy and what doesn’t, but things that go along with my personal brand and how I choose to live life. That doesn’t mean that I’m always right or good, and it doesn’t that people that hurt me are bad.

4.) Yeah, People hate being stalked. They love their freedom. (Weird)

5.) Honesty is hard, but it’s such a great quality in people.

6.) Timing: Yeah, what a bitch. (Seriously, fuck timing)

7.) There are no hard and fast rules, people just like people or they don’t and things work or they don’t. Love is complicated, even the best kind of love will still be work, but it just needs to be the kind of work you look forward to doing. Mostly, just try to keep being loving in the process of trying to love someone else, and to do your best not to react out of fear. That’s really hard to do sometimes, because we also want to make smart choices.

8.) Life can be like a movie, but it’s best when it’s just is what it is, and you’re present and enjoy the little things, like a loving friend, time with your family, the ability to be yourself and still find people that adore you and all of the things that make you weird.

9.) I still stand by this. The more I get to know people, the crazier we all are. I haven’t met one person that isn’t a little strange in someway. Obviously some people are weirder than most, but no one is actually normal. We all have our own special brand of strange.

10.) life is active and you need to be active in life. We might not be able to control everything, but we have the power to control a lot of the good and the bad things that happen to us. It’s important to keep trying and learn from our failures, and to not worry so much.

11.) Loving yourself means that you will have needs, and learning that the things you need aren’t needy is a gift to yourself and others. When we take care of the people we love, it’s not a burden. When people are living to us, it shouldn’t be a burden either.

12.) Don’t read self help books, they’ll only make you feel shitty. Read about business and science, they teach you more about happiness and owning who you are for the greater good of many.

13.) always keep learning new things.

14.) It’s actually really fun to learn about others, that my story isn’t the most interesting story going on.

15.) Trying to avoid failing, is basically avoiding actually living.

16.) The best lessons I’ve ever learned were from the things I did so badly, I never wanted to them again, but still tried anyway.

What my friends have learned about life

“You can fail at doing something you hate, so you may as well fail at doing something you love.”

“Stop caring so much about what other people think’.

“Well, my dad always told me to play the felid… I suppose it was great advice or I’d be a divorced single mom by now.”

“I wish I had known how important flossing was… Need to do it every day… No joke… It would have saved me a world of trouble and expense in a denist’s chair.”

1) You have to love yourself before you can love someone else.

2) Success in life isn’t judged by how far you go but by the fact you keep on going.

3) Love someone for who they are and not who you want them to be.

4) You can’t force love.

5) People always want to bring you to their level — surround yourself by folk at the level you want to be.

6) Be kind.

7) If you can do something more easily than someone else, do it — no questions asked.

8) Surround yourself by people who make you laugh and smile.

To never be afraid. I am love as I am, and I’m worthy as I am.

“The brook would lose it’s song if the rocks were removed” — helped me to learn to not regret past hardships, mistakes, and bad relationships, as long as I keep pushing toward personal authenticity.

My mom told me once: “Live Life the way it should be lived- SIMPLE. & HAPPY !” not long after that, my father added: “Paddle. Your. Own. Canoe”.

Life is about facing CHALLENGES, making. CHOICES, welcoming. CHANGES, managing. CONTRADICTIONS. and. accepting or savoring the CONSEQUENCES.

Many decades ago in grade school, I remember our classroom teacher asked everyone to open our textbooks to page 20 something and as I sifted through the pages to look for it, I chanced upon a color reproduction of an oil painting in page 90+ or so. The Landscape painting. (done by someone named. Fernando Amorsolo) moved me in a way I can’t explain then; mesmerized & totally engrossed, it felt like the artwork touched a chord inside me & opened a door to another. realm — a new world full of possibilities. I remember vividly… wading through a meadow, a brook of flowing crystal clear water and being surrounded by bamboo leaves swaying to the cool, soft whisper of summer breeze. For a fleeting moment I was inside the painting, transported to the visual world of the Arts. I thought I could forget the experience — how wrong I was. In college, enrolled in Fine Arts, I majored in Painting. To cut the story short, years later, I mustered enough courage to request an appointment with the Master himself — Fernando Amorsolo.; for a critique of my most recent artwork. Then it happened: The Maestro, he was there, right before my eyes, looking a bit frail, seated on a wheel chair. Like a small kid beaming with pride, I unwrapped. my oil painting and showed it to him, Speechless and I waited for the sky to fall on my head, He smiled, looking very pleased, went on to talk and talked and talked. All I remember of that day was: He wanted to see more. Four months after that memorable encounter, Fernando Amosolo passed away. I went to his wake and as I stood before his open casket, I whispered a soft “Thank You, Sir” Amorsolo was posthumously awarded the National Artist award for Painting.in a special ceremony at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

1. Address your mental illness and go on medication.

2. Do NOT quit things just because you hit a plateau.

3. When you date a bunch of guys who don’t want to be your boyfriend, it will make you realize that you 100% deserve a boyfriend and he will be worth waiting for, even if you have to wait a long time.

4. Do not let anger consume you. It’s not worth it. Step back, take a breath, walk away, move on.

5. Fail. Multiple times. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure, it means you have to try something else.

6. Yes, you are good-looking. You do not need to convince yourself to do so by spending all your damn money.

7. Be open-minded and open-hearted because the best thing you can be is kind. The worst thing you can be is an asshole.

8. When I was leaving home to go off to college, my father told me… “Don’t let your studies interfere with your education.” (Life is both knowledge AND experience) It’s funny and yet profound and is still one of my top priorities to this day.

9. Don’t have sex behind the fence; love is blind but the neighbours aren’t