As I approached my 35th birthday in the last few months, I have undergone this change. My way of thinking is different, my approach at life is different, and how I interact with people is different. I literally and figuratively feel different. I can’t explain it. I don’t know how or why, I just know I’m different. I’ve reached this point in my life where I just don’t care about the thoughts, views, and opinions of others. Please, don’t misunderstand me. I care and value what others think and love sharing ideas and opinions with friends and strangers alike. That is how we learn; however, I don’t care about the thoughts of others on the topic of my life. It doesn’t matter to me if someone doesn’t like me, or I’m not the first thought in someone’s mind. I don’t care if I’m not invited somewhere, or if someone thinks I’m mean. I have other things to worry about. Which brings me to my topic today.
As we have learned in the past, there is a big group of people somewhere deciding things for everyone. We call them “They”. They say we should…. ; they say you shouldn’t….. The question has always been raised, who are they? We really have no idea, but we continue to take their advice. So, I am going to throw my hat in the ring of giving advice and becoming a they.
1. What they don’t tell you about growing up:
It’s a process. It is not something that happens at 21, 25, or even 30. You should be constantly developing and changing. You should be broadening your mind, meeting new people with different lifestyles than you. This is how we learn. You cannot stay in your bubble forever, with only like minded people. Explore. Talk. Learn. Travel. As we drove through small town Mississippi last week, we stopped at a cute, small little store to use the restroom. There were two teenage girls coming out of the store who had obviously walked from their houses to get a soda, and were walking back. They were whispering and giggling as they walked. I smiled as I thought about teenage girls and what they were probably whispering about. I then said a little prayer for them. I prayed that they have a chance to explore the world and meet new people outside of their tiny town. This town took less than two minutes to drive through and was super isolated from any big cities or anything remotely resembling culture. Please note, there is NOTHING wrong with coming from a small town, but being able to see and experience the world around you is what it’s all about. You should look back every 5 years and be a different person, in some way, than you were previously. We should be constantly evolving in how we view the world and ourselves. If you’re not, what’s the point.
2. What they don’t tell you about boys:
I thought when I got married, nearly 12 years ago, I would learn all about boys. Sure, it was different. I learned that when boys say they are not thinking about anything, it’s the truth. I don’t understand how that works, as I am gerenally thinking about 15 things at once; but it’s how they work. I learned from my husband that boys don’t really require much. Food, beer, television, that’s about it. Then I gave birth to two more boys. I learned a lot more. The fascination with the penis begins a birth. It’s the weirdest thing. The baby can’t sit up on his own, but can hold on to his penis for dear life. And they never stop holding it. The amount of times I say “don’t touch yourself” a day would make you laugh (unless you are a mother of boys, then you will understand). I learned that the fascination about gas starts early as well. Fake burps, farts, and then of course, real ones, are daily laughs among three of the residents of this house. What they also don’t tell you is they are just as much drama as the girls. When people say, “Hey, but at least you don’t have the drama,” I laugh. My SEVEN year old had a full on melt down about his hair the other day…. It’s not just girls.
3. What they don’t tell you about life:
Sometimes doors shut that you thought would be opened. This week I have encountered three firmly shut doors I thought were opened. I had even received phone calls two weeks prior that informed me the doors were opened. I returned home from vacation to shut/locked doors. (Not just in my house, because that’s a good thing). So now what? I thought my career was headed one way, and now it’s not. So, remember when I started this blog, and mentioned that I had a goal of writing a book…. The second I found out about the locked doors in my career, God whispered, “Remember the book.” Uhhh…. yeah, I do. But then my head starts screaming, but it’s going to be SO hard. Not the writing part, but how do I even get it published? And not the publish it yourself crap, I mean a real, legit publisher. Where to I start? Do you know how many times I’m going to be turned down? So, then I realized, I’m scared. I’m absolutely, unequivocally scared out of my mind. Sure, I’m not sure what type of book to write, or what I even want to write about, but I can spend some time working on that. I really don’t know what happens if I actually do it. I’m scared. So, should that stop me? Probably not. Has it up to this point? Yes. So, what they don’t tell you about life, is that the really good things, the stuff you are probably supposed to be doing, is scary. It’s hard. It’s going to be ugly. But maybe, just maybe, it’s worth it. We’ll see.
insidetheaverage 