Welp! Here I am. As of yesterday, I’m in my forties. Feeling pretty much the same as I did the day before but with an extra dose of relief, hope, and excitement for this next season of my life.

40 Things I’ve Learned and/or Love

1. Slow down. There’s no real hurry for anything. Sit down and eat your dinner instead of snacking on your kid’s scraps at the counter. Pour cool water over clinking ice cubes instead of chugging from a water bottle. Enjoy. 
2. Wait at least a year after buying a fixer-upper before getting the puppy. 
3. Commit to your commitments. Aka: embrace the disruption–and cuteness–of the puppy. 
4. Hang the plants. Weed-wacking, concrete-pouring, and guest-house building can wait. Print the photos and put them in frames on the walls. Go for the low-hanging fruit that brings simple, everyday joy.
5. I have a thing for tree stumps. Who knew?
6. Adventure is a mindset. Ordinary, mundane tasks don’t have to be ordinary and mundane.
7. Creativity is a mindset. It’s not only measured by words written or canvases painted but by your very spirit and how you interact with the world around you.
8. God might deliver a different version of your dreams. Go with it. He’s writing your story better than you can. 
9. Mornings are sacred. The cool air, time to write, and quiet before the demands make up for the 5am alarm.  
10. Get a change of scenery. When you’re irritated. When your kid melts down. When discontentment seeps in. When the words won’t come. Go somewhere else.  
11. Voice texting and Voxer > regular texts. They bridge the gap between hanging out better than quick replies and emojis. (Don’t get me wrong. I still love emojis 💃🏽)
12. I get to set the tone in my home. My responses can trigger anger or calm. It’s my choice.
13. You can start everyday traditions like using “summer fun cups” and “Afternoon Reading and Tea Time” any time you darn well please–especially if you’re trying to get out of survival mode. Kids don’t care about fancy; they care about fun. Turns out, we need it just as much. 
14. Connection > correction.
15. Sliced persimmons are the prettiest addition to charcuterie boards.
16. You’re never too old to start wearing big hats.
17. Arranging wildflowers–and likely some weeds–in jars calms my spirit and makes me feel alive.
18. You can get pregnant for the first time at thirty-nine.
19. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean God has a baby for you.
20. Miracles exist. 
21. Grief is thick and suffocating, but there’s no way out other than to feel it wholly. Hope will slowly show her face, even when you think she’s deserted you.
22. Take initiative when your people are suffering. Delete the text that says, “Let me know if you need anything.” Send the Door Dash, Amazon, or Target gift card. Drop off a meal, a coffee, or flowers. Sometimes we hurt too much to know what will help and need someone to figure it out for us.
23. Your kids’ age gap is irrelevant as far as eternity goes.
24. Take cues from nature. The mama bird keeps coming back to the nest to feed her babies. She’s not worried about how many babies are in the nest. She just keeps coming back to take care of the ones that are there.
25. Transitions are still hard for our family. And that’s okay.
26. I am more than a mother.
27. Pride is a thief of joy.
28. Put on your shoes and walk. One foot in front of the other. On pavement, gravel, up hills. Just go. 
29. Say “yes” to fun whenever you can. This includes your kid’s silly requests, last-minute coffee dates with girlfriends, and anything else that will make you smile.
30. Say “no”–without guilt–whenever you need to.
31. Personal growth doesn’t stop because we’re older. It just changes.
32. Daughters are actual, real life best friends. 
33. Say you’re sorry. When you’re grumpy. When you yell. When you don’t want to. 
34. Forgive them. When they’re hurtful. When they make the same mistakes over and over again. When you don’t want to.
35. Birkenstocks are worth it. (Even though Jesse says they remind him of my mom, I wear them anyway.)
36. Supergoop! sunscreen is where it’s at.
37. This heatless curling headband makes my hair–and me–so happy!
38. My greatest inspirations still remain the same: creation, motherhood, feeling the wind on my face. 
39. Remember who you are and who you used to be. Don’t forget the girl underneath it all, but also, honor who she’s become.
40. Forty may be “over the hill” but who doesn’t love that feeling right when the rollercoaster is about to drop? Isn’t that the reason we ride it? 

Inspired by Ashlee, Katie, Ruth and Elise.