Things I've Learned

...Or been reminded of in the last few weeks:

• Wear a hat, take vitamins, get enough sleep. Your mother is right, you will get a cold.

• You may be able to get away with doing your homework at the last minute, but it will turn out a heck of a lot better if you do it in chunks, ahead of time. I'm not sure I can say I 'learned' this - (present perfect) - it's more of an um, process...

• I'm still not totally clear on the difference between the definitions of sympathy and empathy, but I think they both have power to level you.

• Sometimes it really helps to grab your guitar and play and sing something really loud.
  

• Migraines stink, but I'm incredibly grateful that for me, they usually last only a day. If I can't give up a day for a migraine, what else am I not ready to surrender a day to?

• Snow makes everything prettier. Until it rains and everything turns brown again.

• If OTR is setting up for a concert in your backyard (and even if you are just dreaming), you should get your butt out of the house and out to their bus to get autographs. Or have them in for coffee. I mean, the dream coulda been so much cooler!

• Once you get accustomed to having excellent cream in your coffee, it's hard to go back.

• Sleeping, showering, taking a bath, cleaning the house, having a good talk, talking a good walk -- all of these can do wonders to help you hit 'reset'

• I probably go through as much toilet paper living alone as I do having a roommate. Yeah I know, TMI . . .
  

• We (humans) are not in control...and there can be a hurricane, or an epidemic, or someone can die, or you can wake up sick, or any number of things can happen. We may think we can prevent or control these wild forces around us, but apparently we can't, no matter how rich or well-educated or paranoid we are.

• We (yes, I'm still talking about humans...hmm, maybe I shouldn't have watched "V" yesterday?) have the potential to have an incredible amount of influence on one another...

• I don't want to become a weird academic. I would like to become a semi-competent one, but would still like to be a person who can relate to people who don't live and breathe scholarship . . .
  

• I still also want to be an artist.

• Sometimes there's no substitute for praying out loud.

• God really is paying attention.