​Today, I turn 35. I remember being 15 and thinking 35 was old. When I was 15, my parents were only 38! Most days, I still feel like I’m pretending at this whole “adulting” thing. 

And the older I get, the more I realize that I will continue learning every single day. This year in particular I feel has been a very enlightening year, and I’ve learned (or re-learned) so much. 

I’ve learned that…

You can love people and not always agree with them. 
Friends might be forever, but they might also just be for a season, and that’s okay . 
There is no substitute for fresh air. 
How much I put in will determine how much I get out. 
Time is valuable, and MY time is worth something. 
Tuning out the outside noise is not just good, it’s necessary sometimes. 
If I surround myself with negativity, I will become negative. The same goes for the opposite. 
There is no greater confidence booster than realizing you were perfectly made by God. 

But mostly, I’ve learned that I am the only person who is responsible for myself. The way I wake up, the way I spend my free time, the people with whom I surround myself, and the information I take in all affect me and my outlook. In 2019, I decided to simplify, and it was such a release for me to start saying “no” to events, to activities, and to things I didn’t want to do. And this year, I have truly simplified (as have many of us since it was forced on us with the pandemic). I have turned inward often, in prayer, in reflection, and I have reminded myself often that the choices that I make are what is best for me and for my family. I have come to the realization that I will never be able to control anyone else’s actions – my friends, my children, my husband – but I can control my REACTION. I can control my own actions, and that has been a lesson more valuable to me this year than anything else. 

Cheers to growing, learning, and living each day in faith and in positivity.

xoxo,