Today as I turn 56, I am reflecting back on 56 things that I have learned about life so far:

1. The older you get, the faster the world becomes.
2. People will let you down.
3. No matter what you do, you will let others down.
4. Money only brings temporary happiness.
5. A house is not a home.
6. Whether or not you attend your high school prom really doesn’t matter.
7. Don’t base your self-worth on what others think about you. Just because they have an opinion doesn’t mean they are right.
8. Trust God and leave the results to Him. Don’t try to “help” him out.
9. Don’t marry the person you can live with, marry the one you can’t live without.
10. You body will wear out. Things will break or not work as they should.
11. Everything does happen for a reason but you won’t always like the reason
12. Church attendance is overrated. Going to church doesn’t make someone a Christian.
13. You don’t know you are in a cult when you in one.
14. Don’t breathe through your nose when changing a diaper. (Trust me on this one)
15. Be good at adjusting to change.
16. Be quick to forgive. The longer you wait, the more bitterness will set in.
17. If people gossip about others to you, they will gossip about you to others.
18. Never make an important decision when you are hungry.
19. Learn from your mistakes.
20. Give people a second chance
21. You can never detect your own bad breath. This amazes me since our nose is so close to our mouth.
22. Never assume anything.
23. Never talk about having extra money around your house or car.
24. Be careful what you post on social media.
25. All of your Facebook friends aren’t your friends. You also don’t HAVE to friend everyone from high school or all of your relatives.
26. Know your limitations. Just because you set your mind to do something doesn’t mean that you can.
27. Don’t judge someone based on how they look. Actions speak louder than anything else.
28. If work was fun it wouldn’t be called work.
29. Do the right thing even when no one is looking.
30. If you do a million good things people will remember the one bad thing.
31. You can’t pick your family but you can pick your friends.
32. Follow your heart but take your brain with you.
33. Be on time.
34. The one who really cares about you will be the one who cares for you.
35. You can’t control what others do, you can only control what you do.
36. When I die I want a representative from the Atlanta Falcons to be a pallbearer so they can let me down one more time.
37. Don’t get so wrapped up with your favorite sports team.
38. Take time to sit in silence.
39. Work isn’t the most important thing in life.
40. Hallmark doesn’t have a card for everything.
41. There’s only one God and we’re not it.
42. Nobody likes a smart ass.
43. Take a European vacation.
44. Don’t compare yourself to others.
45. You can’t finish something you don’t start.
46. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
47. Time doesn’t always heal all wounds.
48. It’s never wrong to do the right thing.
49. Do more than what’s expected.
50. When one difficult co-worker leaves, they will be replaced by two.
51. You can’t always plan everything.
52. When times get tough, hang on.
53. A good attitude can change everything.
54. True love does exist.
55. Wear Sunscreen.
56. 56 years go by faster than you think.