Last weekend, I turned 27. And then Donald Trump got elected as the President of the United States. Whilst obviously entirely unrelated, the arrival of both events (and the shadow of Brexit) has had me, like many others across the globe, seriously debating whether or not I know anything about anything after all. It’s also had me truly pondering how I fit into this big old world. Happy birthday to me!
In a brief moment of reflection on the Tube (where I do most of my thinking these days) I made a list to try to calm my inner critic, reassuring myself that there are, in fact, things in this world that I do know for sure, even in moments when doubt feels inevitable.
So, in no particular order and in a largely unedited brain dump, here are 27 things I’ve learned in my 27 years:
- Regardless of how urgent it feels in the moment, missing flights isn’t the end of the world
- Enough French to stumble haphazardly through ordering a meal and more than enough to embarrass myself amongst those who speak it fluently
- Countless media buzzwords and acronyms that should really have no place in real-life conversation
- The number of teams in the Premier League and the basics of the Offside Rule
- In the wise words of a former boss and dear friend: you can only control what you can control
- Avocados are incredible. Albeit I learned this 25 years later than I should have
- Whiskey will make you cry. Uncontrollably. For no reason at all.
- What you post online, stays online
- Australian beaches are unparalleled in their beauty
- Every word of dialogue spoken in The Parent Trap, 10 Things I Hate About You and every episode of Gilmore Girls
- How to put air in my car tyres, change the wiperblades and check the oil
- Authenticity and good manners go a long way
- The air quality on the Northern Line is so bad that riding it for 20 mins is equivalent to smoking a cigarette
- Righty tighty, lefty loosey
- You should surround yourself with people and things that make you happy. Like fairy lights and hot-pink flamingo paraphernalia.
- Good friends are worth their weight in gold. And then some.
- How to iron a shirt
- The importance of the question: if not now, then when?
- The best part of reading a great book is lending it to a friend when you’re done
- All the money in the world can’t buy you good health
- How to use manual mode on my DSLR
- Volcanoes are one of the most humbling things you can ever lay eyes on
- Work is important, but it’s just work
- Patrick’s death in Offspring is never not heartbreaking
- Retail therapy always works – even if only for a fleeting moment
- The joy of running & finally;
- Haters gonna hate.
So I guess all hope’s not lost, right?!
xx
