Saturday, February 21, 2015

27 Things I've Learned So Far in Life - Part 1

1. Owning a house is a LOT more work than I thought it was as a kid.
"When I grow up I'm going to live in a CASTLE!!"
...... I'm so glad I don't. With both of us working full-time jobs, John and I have trouble keeping up the house. It's not something you'd see on the Hoarders TV show or anything, but tumbleweeds of doghair are a common sight.

2. When the man of the house is gone, you need to call your daddy to save you from the leaking toilet pipe.
You read that right. Last year, Husband was in Tennessee working hard and picking up brownie-points and some extra money for work. A pipe in the guest bathroom had split, and flooded more than half of the office, which shares a wall with the guest bathroom. The carpet was soaked, I had already had a bad day, it was past normal business hours, and I did nothing but cry like a little girl and call my Daddy. Damn right I did. Because I had no idea what to do. It had never happened to me before, so I didn't think to turn off the water to the house, or to google for an emergency plumber. I sat and cried until my Dad arrived and helped me through the "crisis". For good measure, my DIY-er Mother-In-Law came over and reassured me that this is something I can learn from.

3. There is nothing better than a purring cat.
Seriously. It is the best sound in the world. The rumbling soft fur, the face of complete contentment, it is the remedy for most things that go wrong in life. Patrice has consoled me more times than I can count, but never through a heartbreak (for which I'm so glad!). He is a great snuggler, and freely gives his love and affection whenever I want.

4. If you need to learn how to do something around the house, Google and YouTube are your best friends.
Screw the old school "learn it from your dad/mom/grandpa/etc". If I need to know how to do something, I'm Google-ing that shit. Don't know the best way to hang straight pictures? WTF is a level? Use toothpaste (no, really.). Never had to put a sliding door back in its track? YouTube is your best friend!

5. I have discovered that no matter where I work, there will always be drama, and childish behavior, and people you hate.
So true. Maybe hate is a strong word. There will always be unfairness and favoritism in play. No matter how good you are at your job, you will inevitably end up someone lesser's lapdog because the boss is a sexist/racist/all around ass of a man. This has rang true no matter where I've worked, and no matter what the gender of my boss.

6. The people who treat you the worst are those who know you don't love yourself the best.
Think about it. Anyone who has ever treated me like shit are the ones whom I had confided in, shared secrets with, and trusted. That does not mean that EVERYONE I shared with has done that, no... but the ones who hurt me were always the ones I loved and trusted the most. If a stranger walked up to me and called me a failure, I would assume they were having a bad day and move on. But when someone you just confided in about being 27 with only an Associate's Degree to show after years of putzing around and changing majors calls you a failure, well... it hurts.

7. I don't have to follow the recipe in order to cook a success.
This is very true. My husband likes when I cook, and likes when I try new recipes. But his number 1 thing? "You don't have to follow the exact recipe... make it your own." Well, as someone who hasn't invested hours upon hours into Good Eats and other cooking science shows, maybe I don't understand fat ratios or yeast behaviors, and NEED the recipe to follow. Because I did that once... not follow the recipe... and my bread never rose. I baked rocks. Or at least they felt like rocks.
But, as I've cooked more, and learned what I can and can't do without cheating and finding a recipe on Pinterest, I have learned to pave my own way. I don't have an arsenal in my mind, but I can look at raw ingrediants and find something to make from them while in the kitchen.
...But I'll never be as good a cook as my husband! :)

8. Love means loving the other person even when you hate them; not running even when you're scared; and taking care of each other.
That is a nod to Grey's Anatomy, Derek and Meredith's "Post-It Note" wedding vows. But I've come to adopt it as my mantra. Because even when John drives me nuts, I still love him to the ends of the world and back. We have been together over ten years, living together for 8, married for over 3. We know everything there is to know, and sometimes the love I have for him is so heavy in my heart I could weep. But instead I do the girl thing of picking fights and getting mad without telling him why, and I can see I drive him nuts. But he still kisses me goodnight. No matter what... at the end of the day I have my best friend to crawl into bed with and keep the monsters at bay.

9. I have the weirdest dreams.
From my mother dying on an operating table to being chased down the street by a vengeful tornado, I have seen it all... behind closed lids, I have all of my senses in my dreams, and on more than one occasion I have been not only aware what I was dreaming and could influence it, but more often then not I can fall right back into a dream after a midnight potty run. Some dreams are good (oh so very good....) and others, like the first example, have woken me up unable to breathe and unable to get back to sleep (like I would want to after a nightmare like that).

10. I have the best intentions and the worst motivation.
"Do it today or later you'll pay." This phrase has no meaning, and all of the meaning in the world to me. I am a procrastinator about many things... laundry, cleaning, errands (I tend to let them pile up until I end up spending a whole day off out of the house running around). And for whatever reason, I am SUPER good at homework planning. I devised a 7-day schedule that had my work schedule, my gym schedule, and my homework schedule (broken down by classes and color coded in terms of difficulty), and I was on top of my game. Because I have no classes this semester, I have left that planner in my desk and have forgotten about it. I have a small planner in my purse that I could use, with plenty of room to make my notes... but mostly it sits ignored at the bottom.
Whatever my problem is, it is within myself to change it. In high school I was so bad at planning that I would rarely get a full night of sleep before going back to school on Monday because of all the homework I had left to do; now, I would skip the gym and force myself to go to the library to get my study time in. I just wish I had that willpower to do it with my life.
The funny thing is, that obviously I do have it in me to make the changes, but I don't. Because I just don't. There is no reason why. It's too many factors that have influenced me up until this point that I have chosen to let guide my choices.
Of course, the planner-part of me is standing up with a fist triumphantly raised shouting "Well NO MORE!"...... But my motivator is sitting her ass on the couch saying "Meh. We'll do it starting tomorrow." And thus the circle continues. I always wake up with the best intentions, and go to bed with the best excuses and motivation and hope for tomorrow.

.... To Be Continued...




1 comment:

  1. This is a fantastic list and idea! I can't wait to read more!

    ReplyDelete