20 Things In 2006...Almost 5 Years Later.

I found this today when I was looking through some old documents I have on my computer. I wrote it not too long after Alex got home from Iraq. It amazes me to see how much has changed, how much I have changed, and it amazes me even more to see how much is still the same. I think tomorrow I am going to write a 20 Things In 2011.

(PS: This is something I wrote on my own based on my own experiences, please don't copy it and use it as your own. I love having this blog and sharing my thoughts and feelings with everyone but lately people have been copying my writing and claiming it as theirs. That sucks. So please be respectful and don't do it. Thanks.)

20 Things I Learned In 2006

1. The most important thing that I have learned in this last year is who my real friends are and that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.

2. That your whole entire world can be completely flipped upside down in a matter of seconds. So cherish the people you spend your time with and how you spend your time because every second counts.

3. God works in very mysterious ways so even though something might not go as planned or how you wanted it to go, that's the way its supposed to be. Everything happens for a reason and that's something I live by everyday. You have to go through pain and suffering and trials in life to find out who you really are.

4. Faith. It is such a key ingredient in life, whether its religious faith, faith in yourself, or even faith in others. To have enough will power and belief in something to actually have faith in it takes great determination and therefore makes you a stronger person.

5. Forgiveness. I let go of a few grudges that I have been holding and I can't even explain what a huge difference it made on my life. Life is too short to waste on hating people and being angry. But remember that the first step to being able to forgive someone is being able to forgive yourself.

6. Family is the most important thing in the world. They will be there for you no matter what and they always have your back. My parents have helped me with so much this last year and I honestly don't know what I would do without them. My second family is absolutely amazing also and have been there for me through so much. Just remember to cherish your family because you won't ever have better friends than them.

7. Don't ever forget where you came from and what your roots are because that is what made you the person that you are today. Although we all chose our own paths in life we always carry a part of our past with us no matter where life takes us.

8. People come in and out of our lives everyday but there are few that actually make an impact on you. They are the ones that will stay in your heart forever.

9. Just breathe. Take time out of everyday to relax, sit down, collect your thoughts, and most importantly BREATHE. Sometimes my life gets so busy that I don't take the time to appreciate the little things. By taking 5 minutes out of everyday to just sit has made me realize that no matter how day my day is going, it can only go up from there...and it always has.

10. I can't chose how I feel or make myself want something. No matter how hard I try to control my feelings I just can't do it. Your heart decides what it wants and what it doesn't want..it is uncontrollable.

11. You have to allow yourself to make mistakes. If you stay on the sidewalk and always play it safe you'll never get the chance to learn anything. Don't be afraid to do things!

12. Plan B....that's all that needs to be said. Those of you who know what that is, know what I mean. It's a time to bond, enjoy each others company, and just be down right dirty. My advice is DON'T get on our Plan B list :)

13. Not everyone is always going to like me and I'm not always going to understand why people do the things they do. If people don't like me then that's their problem, not mine. And as for the reason people do things they do, I guess that some things are just better left unknown.

14. Be very careful who you trust. The people who you think are the last ones to ever hurt you, will end up being the first, and the ones you never expected to be there for you, will be the ones helping you up.

15. That loss is not always a bad thing. Sometimes you have to lose things in order to gain others.

16. Material things and your social status mean nothing in the real world! How popular you were in high school or how expensive your shoes are have nothing to do with being a good person with good morals. Get over it.

17. Everyone fights. Just because you get in a fight with someone you care about doesn't mean that your relationship with that person is ruined. Fights are healthy. Plus if your friendship with that person is true...you'll still be best friends tomorrow :)

18. Make sure that you tell the people you love how much you care about them as often as possible. Leave them with loving words. You never know if something you say to someone might be the last thing you ever tell them. Make sure it is something you truly mean.

19. That the most amazing feeling the the world is when you see the one person you miss the most for the first time in way too long. It's an overwhelming feeling of every different emotion all mixed together. It's unexplainable.

20. A whole new definition of love.