In less than one month, I will officially be another year older. At this point in my life, I wish I could say … “I’ve got it all figured out”. But the fact is … I don’t.
The old saying “You learn something new every day” still applies to this getting-older girl. To get a little more specific, it’s more like I am learning a new approach to something I’ve known, but couldn’t get it to stick.
There are certainly things I wish I had done differently … big and small decisions. If you’ve felt that way too, here’s something to consider:
“Don’t judge yesterday’s decisions with today’s wisdom.” (Pastor Steven Furtick)
Proverbs 1:5 says, “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,”. If you are still open to learning, then you are right where you should be.
I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned along the way. It’s pretty simple stuff, but it helped me. I hope it helps you, too.
RELATIONALLY
1.Treat your parents and spouse like you would a friend. It’s easy to forget that our parents have regular feelings like we do. And our spouses … they are stuck with us for life, right? I will admit there were times I treated others with more care and kindness than those closest to me. Think about the last time your parents did something that annoyed you or when your spouse didn’t follow through on something. How did you react? Now think about it when a friend or acquaintance did the same thing. If we can show patience and grace to someone outside of our family, then we have proven that we can manage our emotions in these types of situations.
2.Prioritize your time with the people who you say are your priority. Work is important, volunteering is great, but how much time do your core people get from you? One of the best compliments someone gave me was to say that I put my family first. Work will replace me and other volunteers are just a sign-up away. But no one else can be a wife to my husband, daughter to my parents, sister, aunt, close friend and so on.
PHYSICALLY
3.Do some physical activity for 30 minutes. After hurting my back a couple of years ago, my exercise routine was put on the back burner. I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of girl, so if I couldn’t do a high impact workout, then it just didn’t feel like it was worth it. I’ve realized that 30 minutes of walking is better than 30 minutes of nothing. Some days, the hardest part is just putting on my tennis shoes. I promise that once you start walking, thirty minutes will go quickly.
4.Eat more fruits and veggies! All of my fellow Texans will understand that the struggle of tortilla chips/salsa/jalapeno ranch is real. So, I try to load up on the good stuff when I can. Every week, I prepare my own veggie tray at home. That way, adding extra veggies to my meals is easy. If you are trying to satisfy a sweet tooth, try some fruit first. You get some nutrients and you avoid some calorie heavy foods. Win-win!
MENTALLY
5.Read for 15 minutes a day. “Leaders are readers” they say. Well, too bad it doesn’t say “Leaders are scrollers”. Let’s just say that Instagram Reels have become a form of communication for me, not book quotes. Science tells us how reading helps sharpen our brains, and of course, increases our knowledge in general, too. I’m happy to report that I have read more books in the past few years than I had in the previous decade. 15 minutes a day could help you do the same.
SPIRITUALLY
6.Bring a paper Bible to church. Before you think I still print out my directions from Yahoo maps before I go anywhere, let me explain. For years, I have taken notes in journals and eventually, Google docs. But in all honesty, I rarely (if ever) go back to those notes. I recently purchased a Bible with wide margins for notes and I love it! Now, whenever I go to that passage, I have my own commentary from messages I have heard at church. Using a paper Bible also helps avoid getting distracted by texts that come through during service or checking the status of that Amazon package you are waiting on. ;-)
7.Kneeling prayer. I may be getting older, but thankfully, I can still kneel. There is nothing like a change in our physical posture to change our heart posture too. Kneeling that reminds me how small and frail I am, compared to the Great I Am.
What have you learned along the way? Or as my Instagram Reels would say, what is “the life hack that you randomly saw one day, that is now an unconscious standard practice in your life”?
~ Anu
