This is where I am in my life right now

This is the first time in my life I’ve ever said I like my job, where I live and I’m content and happy in my life in the same sentence. How crazy is that? I’m in a place where I’m comfortable with myself, my friends, my life. I’m happy and content. For the first time in my adult life I’m not wondering where to move to next, what job to apply for next school year or how to meet new friends because I’m thankful, grateful, content and happy where I am.   It’s taken my entire adult life to get here. If I had a ME to talk to me when I was younger, I wonder if I would have listened to myself. I don’t know, but here is what I’ve learned on this journey to thankfulness, gratefulness, happiness, and contentment. This is a shortlist and doesn’t include things like: treat people how you want to be treated and be courteous and nice to people who will let you. My list is LONG, but these are the top 10 experiences I’ve learned in my journey for happiness, contentment, thankfulness, and gratefulness. 

1  Don’t let what other people think about you affect how you live your life: DO YOU! If you like Batman (as I obviously do), do Batman. I have everything Batman. I don’t care if people think it’s childish. Hell, I’m childish. A psychic told me once I had the spirit of a 14-year-old boy. I was happy because my daughter always said I act like an 8-year-old boy. So …. yeah, I’m more mature than I thought I was.

2. Listen to your gut: When you get that feeling in your tummy or hear that small voice – LISTEN! My experience is those feelings or soft words are The Almighty telling you what you should or should not do. If that voice or feeling tells you NOT to try and be friends with someone, listen. Trust me on this one, it won’t end well if you ignore The Almighty. We’ve all gotten into situations that could have been avoided if only we had listened to that ‘inner voice’. Even if it doesn’t seem logical at the time you probably should listen and comply. 

3. Don’t change for anyone: BE YOURSELF!! If you make people uncomfortable that’s their problem, not yours. Unless you’re a pervert or something else sleazy and illegal be you. Dance if you want to dance. Sing if you want to sing. If your significant other is embarrassed because you are having a good time ask them if the same thing they are embarrassed about now is the thing that attracted them to you in the beginning. 

4.  Sing out loud and dance: SINGING AND DANCING cures a LOT of mental and (I’m convinced) physical ailments. Have fun at karaoke or stay home or get together with some friends and dance and sing until you feel like you've run a marathon. You might surprise yourself. I was on a cruise and talked my beautiful niece into coming onstage for a karaoke song with me. When Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive started playing I took my mic and danced all around that beautiful niece of mine. I sang out loud and danced the entire time that song played. She stood there with her mic in her hand looking at me like I had lost my mind and was growing a foot or something out my neck. I was TIRED after that song, but I had a blast and the crowd loved it!! A few days after the ‘show’ some people in an elevator saw me and called me by my name. I remember thinking ‘nobody here knows me’ I looked around and they told me they had seen my ‘performance’ and really enjoyed it. I haven’t stopped singing out loud since (I never stopped dancing). I’ve met wonderful people singing out loud and I don’t care if people think I can sing or not, it brings me joy.  

5. Know your worth: that’s hard to do sometimes but you must know your worth. Knowing your worth results in you loving and accepting yourself as you are. You must love and accept yourself before you can love and accept someone else. Feeling sexy? You are sexy? Feeling smart? You are smart. 

6. Be selfish with your time:  REALIZE how IMPORTANT your time is and don’t waste it on people who have no regard or respect for it.  Spend as much of your time doing what you enjoy as you can. People will waste your time by being late to appointments all the time, saying they are going to do something and not doing it, canceling on you at the last minute all the time not informing you when they decide to waste your time. 

7.  Laugh: At yourself and everything else. A LOT. It keeps you grounded and reminds you that you’re human.  I laugh at farts, falls, and unintentional mouth slip-ups; and I’m the subject of this laugh list. I laugh at others too, but I laugh at me a LOT. I’m a mess with some serious shortcomings. It makes life fun for me. My motto is If you can’t beat em’ laugh at em. 

8. Travel: don’t just travel in your country, get out of your country and see the world!!! Experience different cultures. This opens your mind and allows you to see how big the world really is. 

9. Go with the flow: Life happens; I wish every day was easy and funny and calm but it’s not. You make plans and The Almighty says, “you made a cute plan, but nope, we doing it MY way” Don’t force things. If it’s meant to be/happen it will be/happen and if it’s not it won’t be/happen. Things happen for a reason and that reason is not always known to us. I’ve gone to places and seen things and met people I never thought I’d see or meet because MY plans didn’t work out. The Almighty’s plans always work out. Go with that mindset and even though it can get hard and anxious sometimes, it helps knowing everything is going to work out the way it should. There are no coincidences. 

10. Don’t hold grudges: Agree to disagree because we are all individuals with different outlooks and thoughts on life, why get angry at someone because they don’t agree with what you think? Don’t break up a relationship because you can’t agree on something, work it out and move on. 

This is my shortlist and maybe one day I will continue it, but for now, I’m satisfied with this list. Enjoy your time during this social distancing and remember to do something for yourself every day!!!