Tomorrow is my birthday. It’s weird to be turning 28 because I feel like I was 18 or 22 or even 25 just last week. It’s weird to say I’m 28. I’m not bothered by it, I’m just confused about how I banked 28 years of life and where the past decade went…
But anyway, here are 28 things I know:
- Avocados are delicious. It took a while for me to acquire the taste, but YUM.
- You need to be passionate about something, even if it’s not what the cool kids are passionate about.
- There are no “cool kids.”
- Be friends with people you trust and love and want to succeed. It’s ok to not like or not get along with everyone, but when you find your people hold on to them tightly and lift them up and cherish those relationships.
- Horses are still terrifying.
- Sometimes it’s about who you know, but it’s always about how you treat them. Always.
- Kindness costs nothing but you’ll pay dearly for anger or hatred.
- No means no, silence means no, and walking away/resisting means no. And you are allowed to say no whenever the hell you want.
- Kids do not equal success. Owning a home does not equal success. Traveling all over does not equal success. YOU get to define your own success. Don’t hand that power over to society.
- Facebook sucks. If you have the willpower to quit it, you should. I don’t yet.
- Read more. Learn more. Talk with people from different walks of life. Educate yourself about what’s going on around you.
- Practice empathy, but don’t internalize all the world’s drama. It will 100% destroy you.
- Find role models. And change role models if you need to. Inspirational quotes actually go a long way.
- Meditation, prayer, yoga, exercise, gratitude journals… they all work. Get in the habit of doing something that works for you.
- Don’t let your fears control you. I’m still working on this one.
- Pay attention to who is excited to see you and to see you succeed and to share in your special days. Return the favor and love them completely. (This includes pets.)
- If you’ve ever thought about getting a dog, DO IT. And adopt from your local shelter.
- Pay attention to what you put in your body and on your body.
- But also, eat dessert whenever you gosh darn please.
- Cake and pizza are suitable breakfast foods. I don’t like pizza or (most) cake, but I’m giving you the go ahead to eat it for breakfast.
- Spend your money responsibly. I don’t mean save it- I mean research where your money goes when you make purchases and know who or what you’re supporting with the swipe of a credit card.
- LaCroix is gross. Sorry, but it is. (Hahaha. If you like it that’s ok, too.)
- You don’t need to find a life partner, but if you happen to meet “the one” make sure that person fully respects you & encourages you.
- I know it’s a popular phrase right now, but “self-care” is a real thing. It’s as easy as taking a bath, sleeping in on the weekends, or pouring yourself a cuppa tea and reading a few chapters.
- Go freakin’ vote. And don’t ignore politics. These things are happening in your world and they will eventually effect you. Stay on top of them.
- Learn the difference between effect and affect, who and whom, then and than, their they’re and there, etc. I’m still working on that first one.
- If you partake in the drink, know what cocktails you love and learn how to mix them correctly.
- Be unapologetically yourself. If you love Harry Potter or Disney or superheroes or fantasy or baseball or the beach or whatever. There is NO normal. There really aren’t any rules when it comes to being you. Identify what colors or things or people or places make you happy, and then invest in them wholeheartedly.
And that’s all I’ve got. Off to eat ice cream & donuts because I really don’t like cake that much.
Life as Louise 
Such a stunning post!
So true about kindness, success, FB and avocados! And yes to saying no, spending responsibly and knowing the importance of self-care.
Actually I was nodding along to the whole post (just had to google what LaCroix is)
Early Birthday wishes for tomorrow 🙂
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Thank you so much! ❤
We tried La Croix a few weeks ago and bought TWO 12 packs. Needless to say, we still have almost 24 cans left. LOL
Thanks!!
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100% about how you treat people. At work, it goes a long way when you know the execs but that doesn’t mean you treat everyone else like crap! regardless if someone is the CIO or the assistant, I treat everyone the same.
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Yes! And while having an ulterior motive isn’t necessarily honorable, being kind to those ahead of you, behind you, and next to you is really really helpful when you find yourself in a pinch! Your uber driver or bus driver isn’t going to get you anywhere faster if you’re rude af.
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#2 is everything. I love this whole dang list. It took me a while to like avocados too😉I hope this birthday and year is as beautiful and special as you. Your blog and comments and you always make me smile so I hope you smile lord on your special day! Xoxo
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Thank you so much, Emelia!! ❤
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Happy birthday! What a lovely post❤
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Thank you 2xs, Grace!! ❤
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I like cake a lot more than I used to, but I will still totally eat ice cream and donuts with you. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you have a great day tomorrow. I turned 28 in May and it does feel really weird to me. I see people around my age doing all these “adult” things and I’m nowhere near that, but I’m mostly okay with that. And I totally agree that success should be defined by YOU and nobody else!
Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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I like some cake, but I don’t go gaga over every kind (or company)! Ha. Being in your 20s is weird because there are SO MANY seasons of life going on around us and being experienced by people our own age.
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Loved reading this! There’s a lot of wisdom in this post. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Ashley @ A Cute Angle // acuteangleblog.blogspot.com
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Thanks so much, Ashley!!
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Happy Birthday!!! You are so right about kindness, hatred and anger!!! And how you treat people is sooooo important! I hope that you have the best year yet!
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Thank you!! I still have to remind myself that kindness is the answer sometimes 😉
Is your blog down right now? I’ve been missing posts from you!
Thank you!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! 28 years old!! Well, it was a looooooong time ago for me, so my memory is a bit hazy, but if I recall correctly, 28 is a great year!!! And I most certainly wish it is for you, my friend. I love your list, although the not liking pizza …. whew. I’m not sure if we can still remain friends as pizza is one of my favorite foods. 😀 Seriously, though, a great list, especially 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 28. I’m good with effect/affect but who/whom still throws me a bit. I find that I’m also more forgiving with people who screw those up vs they’re/their or your/you’re. And now that I’ve shared that tidbit with you – I hope you have a fabulous birthday and amazing 28th year of life!
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I’m so glad to hear that 28 is a great year!! 😀 I’m kicking this one off with some pretty fun stuff so I’m inclined to agree with you. Hehe.
I’m so sorry about the pizza admission!! When it’s the only thing available (like at a party) I’ll eat it. It’s just not my fav… by any means. LOL
I can do who/whom. It’s my grammatical claim to fame in my family. Hahahaha!
Thank you!! ❤
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I love a lot of these, but #9….FREAKING YES. I have to remind myself over and over but couldn’t agree more.
Happy Birthday!!!
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I think social media sometimes tries to convince us otherwise… but no one truly gets to tell us how to feel 🙂
Thank you, friend!!
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Happy Early Birthday! Have a wonderful day tomorrow!
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Thank you so much!!
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Happy birthday!! I hope that tomorrow is a great day. “Kindness costs nothing but you’ll pay dearly for anger or hatred” — so true. You really do lose a lot when you let yourself be consumed by those things. I love everything you wrote here. I think it took me a long time to learn that we define our own success. I think that this is one of the good things about growing older. At least for me, I learned to care less about what other people think and focus on what maks me happy. It’s pretty freeing.
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Thank you so much, Carolann! I had a really good birthday 🙂
I try so hard to not let anger consume me or influence my reactions. It’s tough (and I’m not always successful), but do able and worth it!
I love your words of wisdom. I’d like to work more on that, too!
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I always tell everyone – drink sparking water for 2 weeks – its like magic – it all of a sudden tastes wonderful 🙂 Its true.
I dont think FB is awful as much as some of the irritating people that pop up in the feed 🙂 Get rid of them – not FB 🙂 its why my feed is full of my youth kids, family & all things Disney & knitting 🙂 haha
Amen – there are no cool kids
Hope you have a wonderful year!!!
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Hmmm. I’ve never ever been a fan of sparkling water but K really likes it. We got the La Croix for him and I tasted one, thinking maybe my taste buds changed… they didn’t. LOL
Hahaha- your FB feed sounds very enjoyable!
No cool kids at all. Just kind kids- and we should always aim to sit at the kind kids table!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY GORGEOUS FRIEND!
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Thank you so much!! ❤
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Happy happy birthday! I remember when I turned 28 it was kind of weird age because I didn’t feel old, but at the same time I was in my late 20’s and it felt weird to say. And I totally agree with you about La Croix, yuck! And one million % agree with you about it’s how you treat people!
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It’s so WEIRD to say I’m in my late twenties! K is 3 and a half years older than me and I still think of him as “young” so as long as I keep that mindset I’ll never be old. Hahahahaha!
(But I see 22 year olds and think, ‘I am SO glad I’m not in that season of life anymore!’/’Oh my gosh, I was JUST that age!’ Haha.)
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hope you had the best birthday!!!! but seriously, horses ARE terrifying! and lacroix is so gross and inspiration quotes go a long way and you are WISE.
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HORSES ARE THE WORST. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an animal lover and I’ll go after anyone who abuses them… but I don’t ride or fraternize with horses if I can help it. Hahahahaha!
Thank you!! It was a great birthday 😀
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