What I've Learned So Far

It's been 20 years since I graduated from high school, and I've been reflecting on things I've learned since then.  Not necessarily things I wish I'd known.  Sometimes, like Toby Kieth sang back then when he wore a mullet instead of a stomped on hat, I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then.
Here are a few of the things I've learned.......

I've learned that even the people you admire and love the most have faults and quirks and will disappoint you.  Every hero is flawed in some way. Though I've not yet learned to not be disappointed, I have learned not to be surprised by this fact.

Sleep is delicious.  I've learned to appreciate rest.  So much so that I've been attempting to maintain awareness during of sleep so that I can appreciate it more fully.

20 years ago I thought that financial success or "being rich" just had to do with how much money a person made.  I've learned that it has more to do with how you handle what you have, making wise decisions, not only about what you don't spend,  but how you spend what you do.  Like successful dieting is not about starving yourself, but eating the right things and exercising, being successful financially is about spending money on the right things and exercising proper financial behaviors.  Yes, the rich get richer, but not because they're evil and life's not fair, but because they usually are making better decisions

I've learned that after learning to read, the study of history is probably the most important academic pursuit in preparing for life.  Too bad it is probably the subject least emphasized in our public schools.

I've learned that adolescent girls are not very bright and are a strange combination of vanity and insecurity, easily bamboozled by a smooth talker who appeals to their vanity and plays upon their insecurity.  I know adolescent boys can be idiots too, but I already knew that 20 years ago.  I'm glad I didn't know it about the girls back then, and I hope my sons don't figure it out too soon or they might be paying child support before they get out of high school.

On some level, in some way, about something, everybody is crazy.  You, me, your parents, your hero, your worst enemy, your husband, your wife, the person you think has it all together.  Everybody.  The trick is learning to acknowledge this, not to be surprised by it. Learning how to handle the crazy parts of the people you love, and understanding how your personal crazy can affect them.

John 3:16 is probably the most well known verse from the gospels.  I've learned that the next verse, John 3:17, is important too.  "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."  I've learned that if I'm condemning folks, then I'm not showing them the gospel. Jesus came "full of truth and grace".