IntrepidWoman's Journey

What I have learned by my 8th birthday and after a trip to France:

– It is okay to talk loud, laugh often and argue with those you love.

– Always wishing for Friday and the weekend is a merry-go-round that ends with a whole lot of missing life.

– If no one died because of it, then do not stress over it.

– Walking gets you there slower than driving, but oh, the view and the smells along the way!

– Never think that you are irreplaceable at your job and therefore you must devote your entire life to it. Everyone is replaceable. Everyone.

– Life is not a list of “to do’s”. We DON’T have to always:

> check our work emails after work hours or when on holidays,

> eat dinner right at 5 pm,

> take our shoes off at the door,

> tell kids to say please and thank you constantly and make them hug old people when they don’t want to,

> feel guilty when we read a book instead of scrub the toilet,

> say yes when deep down we want to say no,

> give a reason or excuse when we say no.

We should:

> take time to listen to the sounds of silence;

> take time to breathe in and breathe out and just be;

> get up really early to see the sunrise, smell the morning dew and walk through the grass in our bare feet;

> drive out of the city to a place where there are no lights reflecting in the sky to truly see the stars;

> really listen to the other person instead of planning what we are going to say next;

> go to the bakery early enough to buy a chocolate croissant while it is still warm from the oven;

> thank our Higher Power for every joy and every tear and every person who is part of our life – past, present and future;

> accept change as the reality of life. We do not grow without change;

> always be as kind to ourselves as we try to be to those we love;

> get over it and get on with it;

> be patient. Everything happens when it is supposed to. It may not be in our timing, but our timing is not always the right timing. The wait is always worth it. Always.

> and finally – always trust your gut. When that little voice or second sense or Holy Spirit, or whatever you want to call it, tells you something, listen and be guided, in all things big and small. You will never go wrong.