45 Days.

Well...more or less, depending on how you count the days.

In 45 days, I'll turn 30. It doesn't bother me.

In fact, I'm more bothered by a) the fact that my birthday falls on a Friday NOT during Lent and I can't think of any special way I'd like to celebrate it and b) people asking me if I'm freaked out by turning 30.

*shrug*

The other thing that is bothering me is The List. On my 25th birthday, I started The List: 25 Things I Think I Know. It was a wild year for me and it was a feeble attempt to take stock of what I had to show for my 25 years of taking up space and using oxygen. When I turned 27, I actually shared the list -- that's the only one I've ever shared. At age 29, I quit at 17 things and never finished. (The list, by the way, is new each year. I don't just smack another item onto the end. Those are the rules.)

I thought about just letting it go, but... I actually kind of like it.

After 30 years, what do I know? Stay tuned...

Here's the list from year 27, if you missed it the first time.
27 Things I Think I Know

1. For better or for worse, life goes on.
2. Even when I can think there is no end in sight, God sees the big picture.
3. There’s nothing quite like the ocean for reminding me that this world is much bigger than me.
4. Amazing moments of ministry can happen over chocolate martinis. (Strawberry hookah is optional. )
5. The more you love, the more you hurt.
6. There is no such thing as a simple trip to the BMV.
7. Some friends are in your life for a moment; others for a lifetime. All of them are there for a reason. It’s not about who you have known the longest.
8. I don’t have all the answers. Even though that terrifies me sometimes, it’s okay.
9. The greatest gift that can be given is time and attention.
10. Having compassion is better than having the right thing to say or the solution to the problem. Compassion will overcome most shortcomings.
11. I am my worst enemy.
12. Time spent in prayer is never time wasted.
13. God loves me more than I can comprehend. Trying to name it would be putting God in a box. 14. No one deserves to be treated like a door mat.
15. God is patient, but not pushy. He has already chosen me. I have to keep choosing Him.
16. To quote Robert Fulghum, “Life is lumpy. And a lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the same lump…learn to separate the inconveniences from the problems.”
17. A sense of humor doesn’t necessarily make life easier, but it makes it more enjoyable.
18. Good books, good coffee, good company, and good conversation are always worth it.
19. Miracles happen.
20. There is a part of me that will always be an English teacher.
21. Life doesn’t come with a rewind button. Live, learn, move on.
22. To share in another’s journey of life and faith is an amazing privilege and blessing.
23. Sometimes family helps us bear our crosses, and sometimes family is the cross we bear.
24. I can’t save anyone or make anyone change.
25. I never want to stop learning.
26. I need people in my life who challenge me to grow. Even if they annoy me.
27. I’m not where I thought I would be in my life, but I wouldn’t change it.

(The views expressed in this blog are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of my employer.)