Another year older, another year wiser?

August 27 is my (Tina) birthday. Always has been. Not if you ask my family members, particularly any family member who has ever compiled a family history or family geneology tree. Even my mother got my birthday wrong on the family geneology list she compiled one year. My birthday has been August 6, August 12 and August 17 or 19. Perhaps the confusion comes from the fact that according to the doctors, I was supposed to be born on August 8. I was 19 days late. Seeing that I was born at 7 pounds and a handful of ounces, I was probably right on time. Instead of accusing the doctor of being wrong, I'll continue to claim I was 19 days late. So here we are a "few" years after that fateful day back in the 1970's and I'm celebrating another birthday. Another year older. Supposedly, another year wiser. Shouldn't I feel wiser? There are a few things I have learned so far in life that might count as wisdom. I will include them here for the benefit of those young whipper-snappers who haven't made it as far in life as me.

• Glue eating is not a habit that wins long-term (or even short-term) approval from others.
• Accepting some dares is really, really not worth it.
• The people we strive to be friends with when we are young are not the friends we usually end up keeping for a lifetime. The "popular" kids were mostly just popular for outward appearance. The kids with a more attractive inward appearance were hands-down the better friends to have. I wish I had learned that lesson sooner.
• Typing class is one of the greatest classes to pay attention to in junior high or high school. I have never personally needed to know the order of the presidents and their VP's, but learning how to type has gotten me far in life.
• Parallel parking is truly a life skill.
• Ignorance is bliss when it comes to food, but not with politics.
• A great boss can make a terrible job bearable. A terrible boss can make even the most amazing job unbearable.

A few things I still haven't learned that maybe I'll figure out before my next birthday:

• What do I want to be when I grow up?
• How do I vote my conscious when all the candidates are "politicians"?
• How do I raise my future kids to be Christians who truly reflect Christ?
• How do I live in this world without constantly craving all the things I see around me -- the expensive house, the great car, the amazing vacations, new clothes, etc.
• What do I need to do to be the kind of person who consistently blesses, encourages, exhorts and generously gives to my friends and family members?
• What do I need to do in the coming year to be more pleasing to God than to the world around me?

Too many questions makes my brain hurt. A hurting brain is no way to celebrate my birthday, so I will tackle these questions on a non-birthday kind of day.