35 Reflections on ThirtyFiveness

Some things I have learned in thirty-five years of life [in no particular order].

• 1. Deal with it and move on. Life is too short to keep everything inside.
• 2. Laugh a lot. There are many insanely crazy things that we all say and do every day. Learn to find the humor in those stressful situations or things that would normally be embarrassing. The more you laugh, the better you will feel anyway.
• 3. Drive with your windows down and the sunroof open on sunny days. Air conditioning is cool and all, but fresh air is even better.
• 4. Everything in life is a spiritual act. EVERYTHING.
• 5. Work hard. Do it as unto the Lord for it is a spiritual act of worship.
• 6. Life a life of quality, not quantity. You can have a lot of junk that may look cool, but the things that last don’t necessarily come from the markets of commerce.
• 7. Take time to enjoy the colors of a sunset.
• 8. Get up early and take morning walks when all is quiet and still. I need to do this much more than I do.
• 9. Write. It is so healing and helpful to just write down thoughts, feelings, what you are learning, your struggles, your desires… It’s a record of life – your journey.
• 10. Learn to recognize detail. Details are what make up a good design, they are what finishes a painting, or like a carved finial, make something a hallmark of quality. God put so many tiny details throughout every aspect of His creation.
• 11. Never lose your sense of wonder. Remember when you were a kid and the world seemed so wide and amazing? IT STILL IS. Go look for baby turtles, catch frogs, pick up cool rocks, climb a tree…
• 12. Always put things in perspective. Nothing is as bad as you first think it is, and there is always a situation far worse than the one you find yourself in.
• 13. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Richard Carlson wrote a book on that, and it is so true. All those little things that we freak out about… are just that. Little things.
• 14. Change your vantage point. I lost my glasses the other day for about 20 minutes. It was not until I got down on the floor and started looking from a different viewpoint that I found them. Remember that we all see the world far different than each other because our experiences shape our vision.
• 15. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul.
• 16. Give. Your time, your money, your “stuff.” There are so many who need – for most of us, it is Just Another Day in Paradise. Be extravagant, be generous. It’s so worth it.
• 17. Shut up. Seriously. There are times when we all need to just stop talking and start listening for real.
• 18. Seek solitude. God speaks in the quiet. Find a stream and a good bank to sit on and just sit there for a while. Watch the stream, listen to the birds, breathe, and center yourself. God will so often come during those times and whisper good things to you.
• 19. Sing. Even if you are not that good at it, there is no better place to sing than your car. But sing anyway.
• 20. Pray without ceasing. Our day should be running communication with God.
• 21. Have an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful! God has blessed us with so much. Don’t forget how important it is to acknowledge the acts and blessings you receive from people. A simple thank you will sometimes mean the world to people.
• 22. Love much.
• 23. Speak words of life not death. Anytime we tear each other down, are constantly critical, or are negative, those are words that are death speech. Life speech is speech that lifts up, encourages, and gives hope. I want to be a hope speaker.
• 24. Read. In our media crazed world, a book still sparks my imagination way more than any movie ever has. The worlds I have created in my mind from the printed page has kept my imagination working. Reading God’s word has even more important significance.
• 25. Be active. Spend time doing stuff other than sitting in front of the TV. Life is too short to spend it inside watching meaningless nonsense. Get out! Move!
• 26. Lakes are awesome. Water is refreshing and healing. There is nothing like getting out on the lake and flying across it on a jetski.
• 27. Photograph life. This goes along with the change your view and perspective point, but you will get a different view of things when you have a camera in your hand. It forces you to look at life differently. Capture those moments so that you can always recall them.
• 28. Tell stories. For generations, humans have retold their stories – it is a part of who we are.
• 29. Love wins. It always will.
• 30. Sometimes we go through times of wilderness to be drawn closer to the Father.
• 31. Debt makes you a slave. Don’t get in to it. Credit cards are evil. Never get one. It’s not worth it.
• 32. Anytime you want to make up a word, just add “ness”, “ation”, or “ability” to the end of it.
• 33. Smile.
• 34. Drink plenty of water and keep your body as free as possible from processed crap.
• 35. It’s all about Jesus. It always has been and always will be.