I mean it

lessons from a newly minted 22 year old

I was going to write 22 lessons, but that simply is not going to happen. Here are a few pieces of advice I have learned over my 2 decades + 2 years on planet earth.

1. You should enjoy your vocation, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing you are passionate about, and it doesn’t define who you are as a person.

2. Eat good food and take time to smell the spices and herbs. Don’t stop eating what you want because society says you have to eat a certain thing or be a certain size.

3. Go outside. We are meant to be in communion with creation around us. Smell the fallen leaves, gaze at the stars, and take time to stop and witness your surroundings.

4. Fight for justice. Our world is great, but there is also systematic oppression continuing to be leveled at marginalized groups. Use your voice, actions, words, and position to help lobby for a just society.

5. My idol Taylor Swift says it best, “I wanna be defined by the things that I love. Not the things I hate. Not the things I’m afraid of, I’m afraid of the things that haunt me in the middle of the night, I just think that you are what you love”.

6. Live your life for yourself. You are created by God and you are beloved just how you are. Don’t change for society, don’t change for others. Be yourself.

7. If you want an animal, adopt them. Our dogs and cats and other pets just want love and a warm place to be and it’s the least we can do to provide homes for those in shelters.