10 Things I Would Have Told my Younger Self-
1- Eat smart for your health. It’s not about weight, but staying healthy. Stay away from inflammatory foods. Do the research and find out what triggers health issues. For me, it was heart disease and thyroid.
When my son was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroid disease, he cut out all inflammatory foods and has never needed to medicate. Once I got on board with his diet, I was able to reduce my thyroid medicine to half of what I had been taking. A simple diet adjustment cut the dose and the consequences and byproduct of those medicines just by researching and seeing what worked.
2- Start yoga young. I wish I began practicing yoga at 20 instead of 50. I could have saved hundreds of dollars in gym equipment I never used.
The frantic pace of racing up an incline or bicycling in a harried sweaty mess never nurtured my mind in the same way as an hour of yoga. For me, it becomes a two for one deal, refreshing and stretching my body, and my mind as well.
3- Stop worrying about how things look to other people. Don’t justify what you do, don’t explain unless they ask. If they like you, they’ll understand, if they don’t, screw ‘em.
4- Slow down and cherish the small things. It sounds trite, but it isn’t. I was so busy in my youth, building, working, doing, that I didn’t notice the sunrise, or take a minute to smell the jasmine in the yard. Tell a story to your child, something about you. Share a detail, so when they look at whatever it is that prompted it, they will remember and smile.
5- Keep in touch with your relatives. Even if you don’t like them. Even if they owe you money, even if you can’t stand them. You never know when they will be gone. Gone is forever.
6- If somebody wrongs you, don’t hold a grudge. Resentment builds, and with each misunderstanding, it stacks up like a weight. Soon, that backpack of anger is like lugging around a bag of rocks. What I’ve learned is that it didn’t matter if you were right. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done, in five years, it probably won’t matter. Don’t give it the power to hold you back or weigh you down. Like the princess in that movie says, Let it go. It’s freeing. If you don’t mind, it won’t matter.
7- Remember every person sits in one square foot that has different perspectives than you. You might not understand why they do or say what they do, but most people have come by their opinions honestly. Really, it’s our differences that make us interesting. It’s okay not to agree and even better to agree not to agree.
8- Money won’t make you happy. It won’t. Sometimes it makes things easier, but it won’t make problems go away. I hear people say all the time if I only had money I could get what I want, then I’ll be happy. Money may get you what you think you want, but only you can make yourself happy.
9- Stop thinking you can make someone else happy. Only they can make themselves happy. Don’t sacrifice what you want to do, thinking it will end the misery for your partner. It’s okay to do for others, but your happiness is not expendable. Make sure you please yourself, too.
10- There’s going to be beauty at every age. Love your younger self so you can accept the different stages as they develop. Don’t be scared of aging. With each decade comes the wonder of experience, the knowledge of understanding things you couldn’t grasp when you were younger.
The changing years bring a chrysalis where we morph, the planes of our cheeks reshape, our bodies lose elasticity yet grow warmer and welcoming, the wrinkles become a road map of our lives. Perfect is not only boring, but it’s also impossible to upkeep.
I once got upset when our shiny wooden floor was dented by something the kids did at a party in the house. I was furious- our room was no longer perfect! Now my sons have homes of their own, and I wander to that spot, a smile gracing my face with fond memories of that party. I miss the noise of running feet, the slamming of doors. Come back and make more imperfection, I tell them. The dings and dents tell the story of our lives, the fun we shared, our hopes and dreams. Life is better with a good story to share, and somehow it gets s better with each retelling.
Take the challenge DJ Cooper, Dale Lehman, Samantha Beach, Alex Carver, Erica Graham, RL Jackson, Camel Hanes, and anyone else who wants to share.