1. You are worth standing up for.
2. Your voice matters; use it!
3. It's okay to put your foot down. Stomp it when that makes sense. Walk away sometimes too.
4. You'll make poor decisions and stupid mistakes. You will also learn from them.
5. Embrace the power of choice. Yours and others.
6. You've never been competitive. Let go of thinking you've failed when you aren't the first.
7. If someone doesn't like you, don't sweat it. You don't particularly like everyone either.
8. Leave the self-examination to God. His grading scale is much more lenient.
9. Let others in.
10. Love isn't a romantic comedy.
11. Practice kindness, compassion and patience every chance you get. Especially with your grandparents. You won't have them long enough.
12. You won't be married at 30. Don't waste your 20s worrying about it.
13. You'll never comprehend how you could love kids you didn't birth as much as you love A, R and K. Hold them, rock them, let them sleep in your arms and kiss them every chance you get.
14. Enjoy this time. You only get one chance to live each day.
15. When you catch Pat Green's guitar pick, put it in your bra. Don't set it on your leg when you call your brother to tell him about it. It will slide off and disappear forever.
16. You survive.
17. At thirty, you have the opportunity to reconnect with some amazing women. You find yourself pouring your heart out and confessing some things serious and silly. You will find yourself wondering how you got so lucky as you read/hear their advice, support and encouragement.
18. With that, you realize that God is in control and gives you exactly what and who you need when you need it/them.
Ironically, as I wrote this list, I realized how much my 31 year old self needed these reminders too.
