It’s my birthday and I am 50! That’s kind of crazy. Like everyone I know, I had these preconceived ideas of what people were like when they were 50 – they were OLD. But! Here I am and I feel a lot younger than I felt when I was … er, younger. Back then I felt heavy and weighted down with the woes of the world. Not so now.

Still, while I don’t feel old, I do feel wise. That’s what all those years have brought me. And as tends to happen at milestones, I’ve been reflecting on the last 50 years and everything I’ve learned, and there is an infinite number of things. So I thought I’d share a few of them. Fifty seems an appropriate number, so here, in no particular order, are 50 things I’ve learned in the last 50 years.

  1. The most important person to have on your side is you.
  2. If someone earnestly asks for your forgiveness, you should give it.
  3. God exists.
  4. God has nothing to do with religion.
  5. Evil is “live” spelled backwards. That basically says it all.
  6. People are like plants. They need light to grow. Love is light.
  7. As a child, you are not responsible for your circumstances. As an adult,  you are.
  8. When you suppress a feeling, it doesn’t just go away. It goes into your body.
  9. It’s not enough to understand what happened to you. You have to purge it from your body, too.
  10. I don’t have to convince anyone of anything. I just have to live by my own truth and let others do the same.
  11. Sex gets better with age.
  12. Sex gets a lot better when it’s with someone you’re crazy about.
  13. There are not very many things in this life that you can control.
  14. You do control your own responses to things, even if it sometimes doesn’t seem like it.
  15. Spiritual sickness is hereditary. It gets passed down through the generations until someone decides to get better and stop it.
  16. The sickness accumulates with each generation.
  17. You control your mind. It does not control you.
  18. It is possible to die and still be alive.
  19. Dealing with dysfunctional people often makes you feel ashamed for no reason.
  20. Shame is the most dangerous feeling there is.
  21. There is a plan for each of our lives. Our job is to find it.
  22. When something starts costing you more than it’s giving you, it’s probably time to move on.
  23. You don’t have to understand everything. You don’t even have to understand most things.
  24. You can be happy if you want to be. You are not a victim.
  25. Self-knowledge and self-love are essential for true happiness.
  26. We all develop unhealthy responses as children.
  27. Letting go of a problem usually brings the best solution.
  28. When in doubt, do nothing.
  29. If you earnestly look for answers, you will find them.
  30. The answers are rarely where you thought they would be.
  31. Most people are kind.
  32. In fact, it is amazing how many people in the world want only the best for you.
  33. Some people are not kind. It has nothing to do with you.
  34. In fact, hardly anything anybody does has to do with you.
  35. That doesn’t mean you should put up with their crap.
  36. It is more than OK not to associate with people that make you feel bad.
  37. You don’t have to make a big deal about walking away. Just go.
  38. You attract the experiences you believe you deserve.
  39. Some people are incapable of self-honesty, and will work overtime to convince you that what is black is white.
  40. Some people will try to make you responsible for their shit.
  41. Being a victim is a choice. Maybe not as a kid, but definitely as an adult.
  42. The best way to avoid disappointment is to adjust your expectations.
  43. Get the hell away from toxic people. They’ll poison you.
  44. Society has a warped way of measuring achievement. Getting university degrees is easy. Knowing yourself is hard.
  45. Sometimes the greatest love just doesn’t work out
  46. Sometimes you get another chance
  47. Resentment, self-pity and self-righteousness are the three greatest obstacles to happiness.
  48. Drama is vastly overrated.
  49. Family is the people who love you, care about you, and support you. They don’t have to be blood.
  50. God can do for you what you can’t do for yourself.

More on some or all of these later. And if you feel like discussing, please feel free. We like comments!