happy new decade

ten things i've learned in the last ten years:

1. i've stopped worrying how my adolescent-young adult children feel about me at any given moment; i've learned that once they have kids of their own, they'll Understand.

2. i've learned that how i look is not a measure of who i am.

3. i've stopped worrying about death; i've learned that a long life lived miserably is far worse than a short one lived merrily.

4. i've learned to stop worrying so much about what might happen tomorrow, and to care more about what IS happening today. if putting things off til tomorrow makes for a lot of empty yesterdays, addressing what's going on under my nose seems to ensure calmer tomorrows.

5. i've learned that love can make me blind. (i sort of already knew that but i had to learn that one over again.)

6. i've learned grief comes in waves and that when someone you truly love dies, they leave a hole in your heart.

7. i've learned that the birthright of every human child should be a network of people who surround that child with ooey-gooey love and that when one child suffers, we all do, whether we know it or not.

8. i've learned that dogs and trees can be better company than people.

9. i've learned that bad decisions make good stories.

10. i've learned that people who judge others are hardest of all on themselves.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.