I Wish I'd Known...
My firstborn daughter turns 18 in a few days. Per her request we're having a big to-do-- a sit-down dinner for 45 people. Mostly family-- our clan is huge--but a dozen or so friends as well. We've been cooking all day today, and doubtless will be scurrying around decorating and picking up the cake and blowing up balloons and a million other things all day tomorrow. Very busy. Very fun.As part of the celebration I have asked all the adults to share with her what they wished they'd known when they were 18. I wonder, would you share your wisdom as well? What hard-won bit of knowledge do you now possess that would have benefited you at age 18?
I'd love to hear from everyone who would like to participate. In fact, just for fun, I think I'll declare this an official contest. I'll feature the best 3 answers on my blog next Wednesday, February 8th. Who can share the best bit of advice? Enter as many tidbits as you'd like. And tell your friends. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say!
I'm off to blow up balloons!
posted by owlhaven @ 4:14 PM
14 Comments:
I wish I'd known that God is real. I didn't learn that for a few more years. (But I bet she's waaaay ahead of me there!) Please tell her happy birthday!
Never leave your makeup bag in the car on a hot summer day!
Happy Birthday to the first owl in the haven from Jeannie :)
I wish I had known that stupid things we do at 18 can haunt us the rest of our lives.
I wish I'd known that it's more important be one's own person and be okay with that, rather than change bits of oneself (temporarily or permanently) to please others. When I started getting truly comfortable with myself, I was way past 18 and back then I would've benefitted from knowing that who I was/am is always okay, regardless of what anyone else might say at a given moment.
One thing I've learned - but your family already knows.....
Sharing genes does not make you a family and you don't have to have the same genes to be one.
That you don't NEED a boyfriend to be happy. You need to be your own person; Be true to your feelings; and love and respect yourself. This quote sums it up well:
"In time you will find that to be happy with someone else, you first need to not need that person. You will also find that the person you love, or think you love, who doesn't want to have anything to do with you, is not the person for your life. You will learn to like yourself, to take care of yourself. The secret is not to chase after butterflies; it's to take care of the garden so that they come to you. In the end, you will find not who you were looking for, but who was looking for you."
Anonymous
To commit to stay with Jesus and not ever to wander away from him. And to truly BELIEVE that if I committed my life to Him He WOULD direct my future! Remember life with Jesus is an adventure! So set sail!
Dawn
from OR. ;-)
I wish I'd know how important it is to strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman.
Credit cards -- don't get any. If you can't afford something don't buy it. That was a hard and painful lesson.
If you have the opportunity, go to college. It's a lot easier to do when you are 18 then 30 something with little children and a hubby:)
I wish I'd known to stay strong in my faith during college, and understood that the things my family had taught me were the most important. Instead I experimented around with different kinds of things and ended up right back in the same place.. with a lot of regrets. It's not necessary to rebel just to say you did it.
I wish I had known how truly important an education is. ( 30 now and wondering why I didn't finish college)
I wish I had known that it's ok not to worry what others think
I wish I'd known that everyone wasn't going to like me. I wouldn't have wasted my time wondering why or trying to get people to like me who didn't. I should have spent more time having fun with the people who did like me, the time would have been better spent. Life is too short, live it.
KDubs posted this the other day when blogger was on the fritz:
"It's what you make of yourself not how much you make or aquire that matters.
Cheers babe,
Kdubs"
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