32 LIFE LESSONS FROM 32 YEARS

Today is my 32nd Birthday. And contrary to the somewhat popular opinion that I’ve got it all figured out, I for all intents and purposes, am a walking work in progress. Aren’t we all? If you ask me, it’s the best way to be. If you’re not learning, you’re stagnant. And ain’t nobody got time for that.

Luckily, somewhere during the last three decades on my trek to wear I am now, I’ve learned a thing or two. Here’s what I know.

32 LIFE LESSONS I’VE LEARNED AT 32

1. Show up. For your family, for your friends, for yourself. For your life. It doesn’t always have to be perfect, or pretty, or put together. But show up just the same.
2. Carry Band-Aids, a nail file, a hair tie and a safety pin in your purse. You never know when you’ll need to pull a MacGyver.
3. Wear sunscreen. Does anyone else remember that song that came out in the late 90’s? I wish Junior High Natalie took that tip a bit more seriously. And make sure you also apply it to your neck/chest. Your 50 year-old self will thank you.
4. Ask for what you want. Want that promotion? Or the opportunity to take on a new project? Or to eat at a different restaurant this Friday? No one is a mind reader. You’re never going to get what you want unless you have the courage to ask for it.
5. Keep a gratitude journal. (More on that here.) It’ll teach you to savor the good stuff- both big and small.
6. Never think you’re too old for something. This applies to swings, roller skates, bikes and board games. Remember how much fun you had as a kid? It was for good reason. Do more of that. 
7. Embrace snail mail. I know we live in a digital world, but I have a big-ol-box of cards and letters collected from my grandparents and family and friends throughout my life. And you know what? Someday my kids will read them and they’ll be able to feel what I felt, too. I’m not convinced that same feeling will be possible from a text or email. So go buy some stamps, ok?
8. Stop apologizing and feeling like you need to justify a decision that someone else may not be on board with. This is a lesson I’m still learning. So eat organic, or don’t. Read that book, or don’t. Attend that event, or don’t. Do self-care, or don’t. But stop apologizing. You don’t owe an “oh, sorry” to anyone but yourself. (Unless you actually do something awful, then please do apologize. Kindness!)
9. Buy double-sided fashion tape. That stuff works WONDERS and your button-down blouses will never pull or gap again.
10. Be a boomerang. What you put out into the universe will come back to you and then some. Try your best to be your very best.
11. Learn to pack in a carry-on. No one wants to spend the trip of a lifetime lugging around a giant suitcase. Less is more. And by less, I mean that carry-on will still hold more stuff than you actually need. Trust me, I speak from experience. 
12. Buy green cleaning products. The environment, your neighbors, and the health and well-being of your future self will thank you. I’m a fan of Branch Basics and Seventh Generation.
13. Put yourself first. No, this is not selfish. If you’re a people-pleaser, remember that you can’t make anyone else happy until you’re happy with yourself. YOU are the most important person to please.
14. Drink more water. You know you should be.
15. Accept the mess. Sometimes my house is spotless, and sometimes there are 42 piles of laundry in my guest room hidden behind a closed door. You’ll get to it when you get to it. Life’s about balance, yeah?
16. Make time for coffee. I have an Aunt who always seems to have time for coffee and a conversation. I could never quite figure out how that was possible, until it occurred to me it was because she made the time. Make the time.
    
17. The person you were “back then” doesn’t matter. You are not defined by your awkward years. None of us are. (Accept for the time I cut my own bangs with kitchen scissors. I deserve to be defined by that terrible atrocity.)
18. Be kind. Above all else.
19. Fail spectacularly. I’m talking about going down in flames while simultaneously shooting off a flare gun for help aboard your sinking lifeboat. Failing in a spectacular fashion means you put your heart and soul into what you were doing in the first place. Things will be hard and you will fail. You will fail a lot, and fail again. But there’s no other way to learn, so you might as well give it all you’ve got.
20. Eat, drink and be merry. Whatever that is for you- wine, cheese, chocolate- have it once in a while. When you come to the end of your life, you won’t remember all the kale you ate. You will remember that glass of crisp Rose’ on a summer afternoon in the Cape with your husband. Again, balance. 
21. Dress not only for the woman you are, but the woman you want to be. Raise your hand if you’ve ever said “Oh gosh, I could never wear that!” And now I want you to think about why. Who ever told you that you can’t? Have the courage to match your clothing to the way you feel on the inside. 
22. Don’t forget about your friends. Pay attention to the ladies in your life and keep those relationships alive and thriving. They’re irreplaceable. Come on now, you know the code: Hoes before bros. Ovaries before brovaries. Uteruses before duderuses.
23. Grow garden tomatoes. There is truly nothing better than fresh picked tomatoes in the summertime. If you live in an apartment, Whole Foods has potted cherry tomato plants. You don’t even need to have a yard of your own. And feel free to invite me over for dinner.
24. Learn the art of compromise. No one wins when everyone’s losing.
    
25. Travel somewhere new every year. It doesn’t have to be far. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Just get out of your bubble and expand your horizons a bit.
26. Take walks. See also: Get up from computer. Put down cell phone. Go outside. Move legs. Breath in fresh air. Feel rejuvenated.
27. Shoot for the impossible. Goal setting is important, but only setting attainable goals is a disservice to ourselves. Try for the impossible once in a while. You may surprise yourself.
28. Have favorites. Flowers. Donuts, Colors. Seasons. Ways to cook eggs. Take the time to figure out what makes your heart sing.
29. Learn to cook. Like really cook. There is nothing more nourishing, to both the soul and the body, than preparing a meal for yourself. Step away from the Uber Eats every now and again. Promise?
30. Use wrinkle cream. It’s preventative!
31. Pay it forward. Whatever you get and whatever you have in life, find a way to share it with others.
32. Live. Live more.

With love. Wear you are now.

xx

Natalie