Some of the things I have learned in my 51 years, it does not matter one whit what other folks think of you, you do not have to keep toxic people in your life, no matter who they are or how they are connected to you, volunteering does more for you than for anyone else, reading is key to happiness, buy yourself your own damn flowers, kindness costs you nothing, think before you speak, having a religious belief system does not make you a good person and not having one does not make you a bad person, tell folks what you want because not doing so will only lead to disappointment, eat good food and hang the consequences once in a while, delve deeply into subjects that interest you and even some that don't, never stop learning, if you are one of the people who say "I keep it real" what that most times means is that you open your mouth and mean things come out and that is supposed to be ok because hey, you're just "keeping it real", avoid the previous folks, be kind to people and animals and the planet, when picking a life partner, choose wisely and well, laugh, loudly and often, be different, spend time alone, travel alone sometimes, try do things that you don't think you can do, enjoy life because its fun most times but even when it's not you will be surprised at how fast it goes by, empower others through your actions and attitudes, leave big tips, tell people when they do a good job, tell employees bosses when they do a good job, when you see an injustice speak up or act up, and always be true to your vision of who you are.
