21 Things I've Learned...

The other night my aunt asked what I've learned in my 21 years of life. I gave no answer because I thought, that could take forever to tell what I've learned in 21 years. But here is a snapshot of what I've learned so far on this road we call life:

1. Life never goes how we plan it.

2. Our time on this earth is precious and short, and we never know when our time will be up. Our mission is not complete until that time comes.

3. Everyone is struggling in some way or another. Even the people who seem to have it all together. Our job is to always be reaching out to each other, so that people never fall off the path.

4. We don't need to keep the false traditions of our fathers. We can break the negative cycle and start a positive one.

5. Parents are there to parent their children, and sometimes children are there to parent their parents.

6. Rules are not meant to be broken. In fact, our obedience provides us with safety and freedom.

7. Often the best way we learn is from our own mistakes. That doesn't mean we have to learn the hard way and make every single mistake possible. We can often learn just as easily from the mistakes of others.

8. It is not important to know details and information about things that are not pertinent to our salvation.

9. You don't need to know why you have to do something in order to do it.

10. Communication is an acquired skill that not everyone has.

11. Happiness is a choice, which not everyone chooses or knows how to.

12. Depression is not merely a choice, but a real emotional illness/condition.

13. It's impossible to keep in contact with everyone I want to the way that I want to.

14. Things in life don't happen coincidentally.

15. The only thing we really have, that is ours, is our will.

16. Serving others brings more happiness than focusing on ourselves.

17. TV is the root of all evil. (Well, in my house anyway.)

18. It takes a lot of work to become a person other than that of your parents.

19. It takes a village to raise a child.

20. I've learned more from my brother than he's probably learned from me.

21. People come into your life, right when you need them to. They only stay as long as you need them to, and then somebody else comes along. But sometimes they stay forever.

At 21, you think you know everything, and then you realize you really know nothing.