10 Things I Learned Last Year

Five years ago, I posted a blog titled, "10 Things I Learned Last Year." I had forgotten what a good idea reflection is. January is usually all about resolutions and getting your shit together. But to me, resolutions and getting your shit together don't make any sense if you don't reflect a little first. I'm not talking about anything too deep here, just looking at the lessoned learned so I don't have to waste time relearning them in the new year.

What 10 Things I Learned in 2015:

1. Amazon Prime is the Devil. I love Amazon Prime. I love being able to order absolutely anything and have it shipped to me for free in two days. It's the best invention ever. But Amazon Prime is a blessing and a curse. When everything that you could ever want or need is just a click away--no entering your credit card information or taking a moment to consider if you really need it required--you suddenly find yourself spending a whole lot of damn money.
2. Pod casts are the bomb diggity. Discovering pod casts (this one and this one in particular) has made my life better. I have learned so, so, so much from listening. Listening while I put on makeup. Listening while I scrub toilets. Not to mention they make things that I hate to do, like putting on makeup and scrubbing toilets, much more enjoyable.
3. A little app called Voxer has saved my sanity. One of the hardest things about living in California has been that my closest friends live far away. But thanks to Voxer, we talk every day. I mean it. We talk every damn day. Some days we talk all day long. We are all busy, doing what we do, but we talk while we do it and it has saved me. Saved me from feeling distant and apart and lonely. God bless Voxer.
4. My opinion doesn't matter.  I used to think that I needed to express my opinion on everything. That I needed to correct anyone who I thought had it all wrong. This year I discovered that all of those heavy opinions are simply too much extra weight to be carrying around. It's not my job to fix people, to convince people, to make people think the same way that I think about the world. Someone can have a different opinion than me and that is totally fine. Who cares!
5. Never say never when it comes to a dying pet whom you love. I always said that if my dog ever got something horrible like cancer, I would never spend money on extensive and expensive treatment. And then my dog got sick with a disease that required extensive and expensive treatment and I found myself throwing my credit card at the vet while screaming, "I don't care how much it costs!" Never. Say. Never.
6. Pilates works. I never thought it would happen, but I actually found an exercise routine that I enjoy. Pigs are flying, people. I've been going to pilates for well over a year now but have faithfully been going for the last 4-5 months and I can tell a difference. When I zipped up some of my cute winter boots and my chubby skin didn't catch on the zipper, well, I was one happy lady.
7. You don't have to be some weird, voo-doo yogi priestess to enjoy the benefits of meditation. I really didn't think I'd ever be able to meditate for a variety of reasons. Sit quietly for 20 minutes without thinking of anything? Um, sure. Whatever. But I have discovered not only can I do it, but I actually enjoy doing it. To be blogged more about later...
8. You will never meet new people sitting by yourself at home. I made some new friends in 2015 that I have grown to adore. I met them by saying Yes. Yes, I will volunteer for VBS. Yes, I would love to join your small group. Yes, I will be there. We have always tended to be a family of No. No, we're busy. No, Derek is out of town. No, we can't. But we are learning to be Yes people, and even though it's slightly out of our comfort zone, we are happier for it.
9. My children are more capable of doing things than I think they are. A few months ago, shit got real. I realized that so much of the crap that keeps me busy and makes me crazy can be done by my children. My decision to have children is starting to make sense again.
10. I don't have to pay for things I can do myself. When deciding to redesign my blog, I toyed with the idea of paying someone to professionally do it for me. But then I thought better of it. When I very first started blogging, all the way back in 2005, I was completely self taught in all things blog related, including design. I even learned the very basics of HTML. My blog design is far from perfect. You can find plenty of flaws without looking too hard. But it's mine. All mine. And it's free. Which leaves more money for #1.