31 Things I've Learned in 31 Years

Thursday is my thirty-first birthday, so I decided to try to come up with thirty-one things I’ve learned. Here goes:

1) There is no such thing as closure.
2) It’s okay to judge. The problem is when you can’t admit to yourself that your judgments are often wrong.
3) It really is worth it to buy expensive shoes.
4) Hindsight is never 20/20.
5) There’s a difference between excuses and explanations. However, most people (myself included) don’t really seem to understand what the difference is.
6) I was infinitely smarter at age five than I am now.
7) There is a direct correlation between popped collars and douchebags.
8) After years of rumination, I have decided that what separates happy from unhappy people is gratitude.
9) I don’t believe that no one is perfect, because of Audrey Hepburn.
10) It’s fine to cry on the subway. It helps a lot that I own a pair of oversized sunglasses.
11) It’s usually better to forgive.
12) It’s even more important to forgive yourself. I’m pretty sure that this, for me, will be a lifelong endeavor.
13) Sometimes it’s okay to give up. In fact, sometimes you really just have to.
14) Being able to laugh at myself has helped me with numbers 12 and 13.
15) As cliche as it is, the truth really is stranger than fiction.
16) When things really suck, I don’t take it day by day. I take it footstep by footstep.
17) Nothing is free, not even trouble.
18) People really can change. It’s just that it’s the hardest thing in the world to do.
19) Moderation really isn’t much fun.
20) I need to constantly remind myself to keep my eyes open. It always surprises me how much more I can see.
21) Having roommates is really tough. That being said, it has taught me a hell of a lot about myself.
22) Everyone is a hypocrite about something. Since I freely admit my own hypocrisy, I really think that should count as some sort of absolution.
23) I’ll never trust someone who doesn’t curse. Same goes for someone who doesn’t drink coffee.
24) Traveling alone is one of the best things I’ve ever done.
25) Being told I have an old soul was the best compliment I’ve ever received, though I’m not sure it was intended that way.
26) As I get older, time for me is not so much a continuum but instead a series of moments. I call it the Fragmentation of Age. I probably stole that line from someone inadvertently, but I think I titled it myself.
27) When you can’t figure out the clue to a crossword puzzle, the best thing to do is put it aside and look at it again later.
28) Crossword puzzles have taught me a lot about life.
29) Should really is the most useless word in the English language.
30) For this one I have to quote David Sedaris, one of my favorite authors, because he put it better than I ever could have: “People are not so much foolish as they are kind.”
31) Even though she has been gone for over five years, my mother is, and always will be, my best friend.