11 Things I Have Learned in 2011

This is the first new years eve that I will spend quietly at home with just my husband and our dogs. To quote the wisdom of Blink 182,  "I guess this is growing up." In years passed we have had friends over, gone to parties, I dont remember some of what I did for reasons I will not delve into here... However, I thought now is a great time to take a look at what I would take into 2012 and what I would leave behind.
So here is my list, take it or leave it:

11) Time goes by too quickly (just as Kim Kardashian) 
The people and things in our lives may be gone in a moment, time with family is over in an instant, friends come and go, the ones we love can deploy over night. Simply put, the world will keep moving even if we try to stand still. Maybe I will take more walks on the beach, for some reason change is always obvious to me there and semi - permanence is normal.

10) The good friends watch your dog.

A good friend will make sure your dog has food, you catch your plane, you have something to eat for lunch, your bad mood is not really that bad, the complaints you text them about your husband stay confidential. These friends are indispensable. These friends have the key to your house and the key to your heart. Sometimes they even make living away from family feel like one long vacation.

9) Justin Beiber's haircut does not look good on everyone but encouragement does. 
It is always easier to tear someone down than it is to build someone up. I have to tell myself this every day.

8) If you were meant to have her life you would. If you were meant to have her size jeans...
This lesson is similar to the lesson of the beebs. For some reason this year I have run into many people wishing and hoping for the life of someone else. I guess what I have learned from this is put up or shut up. I think there is a willy wonka song about that.

7) WWDD
What would Dory do? Just keep swimming. Sometimes I think that the answer to some of life's more difficult problems can be answered in any given Disney movie. Notice a trend here? There are only but so many people in your life that are willing to listen to you bitch (save your facebook newsfeed). Those people are the ones that are rooting for you so do them a favor and keep on keepin on! Keep swimming, keep trying, pick yourself up by the bootstraps son. You get it... we have become a nation of, "meehhh but I cant".  We were born from a nation of, "if we dont then who will?"

8) If you write something on a 3X5 card someone will read it.
It is hard to say what you feel. Say it. It is important to someone.

7) Keep things in perspective 

It is too hot in July, it is too cold in January, it rains, your feet hurt, your job sucks, you aren't appreciated, you don't get paid enough...
Walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
















6) Laugh when it is hardest 

Laughter is the cure to most things. Guaranteed or your money back.

5) Keep your promises 
Dont say it if you dont mean it. Dont promise it if you cant keep it. Its simple really. Apparently, its harder to do than it might seem.

4) Say thank you. (You dont have to be Sarah McLaughlin)
Thank a Veteran, Thank their spouse. Thank a friend.... say thank you! Two words.

3) You are not entitled 
Everything must be earned. Nothing is free. I guess this is where the 3X5 cards come back into play.

2) Grudges are hard to let go of... Sarah Michelle Gellar would agree. 
Im still working on this one. Get back to me next year.

1) 11?
Everything we learn in a year could not fit in to a top 11 or even a top 20. It is important that we stop and take a look around. Goodbyes are never easy, friends leave, friends stay, some family supports us and some could never understand but every day offers a new lesson.

Cheers to you 2012... May all of the deployments be safe and short.

The end of Iraq?

I read a news article today about the announced ending of the Iraq war... we've heard this before. But, instead of trying to understand the timing of such things I chose to think about the 3.
I refer to them as the 3 because to me they represent all of the fallen. The 3 are 3 Marines that rarely get talked about in my home. However, their memory walks the halls, joins us for holidays, lives on my husband's shoulders, and will be in his breath every single day of our lives. They represent every Marine that has been lost in the history of the Corps and to my husband they represent every Marine that was lost with 1/6 in 2006- 2007 when he fought in the sandbox. The 3 were his close friends... the 3 never came home... the 3 were heroes... 3
We all have people in our lives that we believe would die for us. My husband knows of 3 that did... Im sure he knows of more but he does not tell me the stories that would keep me up at night because I am certain that he fears one day it will all be too much for me to handle. My burden is far less than his, than the 3.
At the Christmas time, and many times throughout the year, I often think of the 3 and the ones they left behind. I know my husband thinks of them far more than he cares to talk about.

Thank you to all of you. To those that came home, to those that didnt and to the 3.