Last year, I didn’t want to be 25. 24 had been so great to me and full of so much wonderfulness, I didn’t want it to end. I am blessed enough to say that this journey we call life has once again been good to me as the clock ticks on to 26.

With the exception of my highlight tint though, life doesn’t look much like it did at 25. We don’t take much time to reflect on changes on a daily basis, but I try to make a point of it at least on a birthday. Each year we grow, we pick up new traits and let others fizzle off…so here are a few of my takeaways from the last year of ‘development’.

13. If you can’t tone it, tan it.
12. You can evade law enforcement with jelly beans. And jokes. Additionally, begging.
11. People aren’t walking around this earth judging each other as much as we think they are. Except babies. They judge everything.
10. South Georgia is undeniably where you will find your Grace.
9. We are torn down by hardships to a rawness so that we can rebuild differently because we are on the wrong path.
8. People can’t read your mind. If you want something, you have to tell them so. If you need help, you have to tell them that too.
7. People will tolerate your hard-headed stubbornness if you’re consistent and principled. They just want to know what to expect.
6. The more you try to mold your life, the more fluid it will become.
5. We are almost never sure about what we do want, but always sure about what we don’t want.
4. Indecision is the worst decision.
3. We continue to grow when we allow ourselves to do so. We can’t resist everything…new opportunities, different kinds of people, different ways of thinking…we will never be right about everything – at least not all at the same time.
2. You can’t let fear control you. You have to leave your comfort zone and go into the unknown with a firm reliance on faith. Often. If it’s both terrifying and wonderful, you should absolutely do it.
1. When you take a leap of faith, you’re forced to trust more in The Lord, in others, and surprisingly, yourself. That’s growth.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” –Oscar Wilde