31

31.  Not 30, but 31.  I am 31 years old.  Curiously, I do not feel like it.

I honestly do not want to celebrate it.  I am quite content with my sister’s birthday gift – which I am still waiting for.  But my friends are quite insistent that we celebrate it with one case of Tanduay Ice.  Oh, well.

I thought I’d do a sign post for this birthday.  A sign post of the things I learned the last 31 years of my life.  So, here goes.

I learned that –

1. A single minute can change the rest of your life.
2. I should allow my children to follow their passion when it comes to choosing their career.
3. I have the power to destroy my child with just a single word or action – or empower my child with the same..
4. Everyone has a secret – a dark one.
5. There are people that will always be a part of your life – and yes, your heart.
6. There are friends that you will lose along the way and you can’t do anything about it.
7. You cannot afford to take people for granted.
8. Life takes you to all kinds of roads – but almost always never on the road that you want to be on.
9. 31 years is enough to witness the fall of a dictator, the death of an icon, the election of a black American president and the death of thousands from a devastating catastrophe..
10. Intelligence does not seem to come to play when it comes to love..
11. Your mother can be your best friend – or you can be hers as well.
12. The comfort of the known can take away the adventure of living in the unknown.
13. A mother can literally kill for her child.
14. There is no love greater than a mother’s love.
15. Once you’ve learned to love yourself – no one can convince you you’re worthless.
16. People believe what they see even if what they see is a lie.
17. There is power in knowing what you really want.
18. It’s easier to burn calories than to consume them.
19. It’s easy to befriend women – just talk to them about their boyfriends, husbands or their kids.
20. Men are easier to get along with.  They’re less complicated than women.
21. Nobody has it all figured out.  
22. Everyone has an amazing story to tell.
23. No person who loves books is stupid.
24. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.
25. Cliches may have you rolling your eyes but you can’t deny the truth and wisdom in them.
26. Your gut feelings are more often true than not.
27. Kids need respect, apology and explanations too.
28. There is God – I don’t care what people think or say otherwise..
29. You may not be able to hide a “bad mood” but it wouldn’t kill you to be polite.
30. In the long run, your life is a “solo trip”; there will be people who will join you in your journey.  Some will last, some won’t.
31. It’s really all about love – no matter what people love, it’s definitely what drives them.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

*As of writing this post, I received a handwritten letter and a bar of Cadbury Fruits and Nuts from Erbe - pre-birthday gift? Happiness!