As I celebrate my 50th birthday today, I remember my 30’s when I was in the trenches with my babies and hanging on for dear life. I thought fifty meant I’d be living easy, and I was partly right. Some things have gotten easier now that the baby phase is over, but I had no idea back then about the fireworks that would result from the haywire hormones of teens and a fifty year old mom in the same house! (Luckily my sweet kids are gracious and kind to put up with their mother.)
Today I continue celebrating joyful, hopeful fifty with the list I started Monday.
30 things I wish I’d known in my 30’s:
Productivity
21. Each day, make a to-do list of three items that you want to accomplish. Draw a line below the third item and continue your list. Make sure you do the first 3 things. Get to the rest as time permits
22. Spend the first hours of your day on creative, productive work. Answer e-mail later.
23. Don’t forget to dream. Jot down ideas that come to you.
24. Don’t underestimate the power of one baby step towards a goal. What can you do today in just 15 minutes?
25. Focus: Turn off social media, set your timer for 25 minutes and work on something without stopping.
Enjoying Life
26. Enjoy the work you’re doing right now rather than just trying to get through it so that you can have fun later.
27. Don’t take life too seriously. Lighten up and find something to laugh at.
28. Even if it’s just 15 minutes, take time every day for something you enjoy.
29. Have more fun with your husband and kids.
30. Play more games.
Maintaining Perspective
31. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith.
32. Hang in there when the going gets tough and remember that better times are around the corner.
33. When you’re depressed, remember “Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning.” Sooner or later things will change.
34. Instead of focusing on one or two things in your life that aren’t going well, remember all your blessings.
35. Remind yourself daily: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)
Marriage
36. Accept your mate as he is.
37. Invest time in your marriage each week: go on a date.
38. Let your husband know daily what you appreciate about him.
39. Focus on your mate’s strong points rather than on his weaknesses.
40. Kiss your husband every day when parting for work, returning home in the evening, and before bed.
Self- Care
41. Buy yourself a new dress now and then. (Then you won’t go crazy trying to figure out what to wear for a special occasion later.)
42. Find something new to learn.
43. Turn up the music to lift your spirits.
44. Buy fresh flowers to brighten your heart and your house.
Everyday Hacks for Real Life
45. Establish simple, daily routines for housework and meal preparation. When these tasks become automatic, you can focus your attention on other things.
46. Do one load of laundry at the same time every day.
47. Make taco soup in the winter and teriyaki chicken salad in the summer.
48. Clean out your purse once a week.
49. Learn to laugh at yourself.
50.
I left the last one blank so that you can fill it in by making a comment. What’s something you’ve learned or a life hack that you’ve discovered?
I love this, Betsy, because I am still in my 30s and want to live these years on purpose! One of my cleaning hacks I learned from my sister: Set a timer for 5 minutes per room and give each room a facelift during that time. When the timer goes off…move on! I can pick up my downstairs in 20 minutes and have the rest of naptime for ME!
That is a great idea! I use a timer sometimes for cleaning too, but I never thought of 5 minutes in various rooms!
My favorites are #26 and #27. “Enjoy the work you’re doing right now rather than just trying to get through it so that you can have fun later,” and “Don’t take life too seriously. Lighten up and find something to laugh at.” I find that being silly together works wonders. Not at work, of course, but it’s great at home. My kids were highly entertained last night when I put Target bags on my feet and tied them around my legs to splash into our bathroom and clean it. The city sewer lines got clogged and backed up into our house because of recent storms and flooding. Both kids stood at the doorway to keep “poor mom” company, hand me trash bags, towels and rags as needed, and scream, “Eeew, gross!” at appropriate moments. It was actually quite funny, and laughing together made a disgusting job into a funny bonding time.
For #50 I’d say always slow down and pay attention if one of your children wants to talk to you, no matter how busy or rushed you may be feeling.
Thanks, Betsy, this was so much fun!
Oh Deborah, what a disaster! The plumbing, I mean. Glad you kept a sense of humor; you probably REALLY needed it. Yes, that is a great point about slowing down to listen to our kids, so hard to do sometimes.
This is such a great list! I’m going to print it out to refer to and share with others. For #50, I would add to listen more than you talk. When you talk, you’re just repeating what you already know. But when you listen, you can learn something new. And listening is a great way to show others you love and care for them. Thanks for making this list and sharing it with us, Betsy!
Oh Sabra, I really want to become a better listener! I get so convicted about that! Good point!
Beautiful.
Doesn’t really matter what other people think if God is happy with it.
I love these, Betsy. Happy belated birthday. I just turned 50 on April 9 so I can totally relate to all these points! I guess for #50 I’d add the simple cliche “Never say never.” That applies both positively and negatively to my life. In the year before I turned 50 I lost a friendship of 27 years. I’d have said we could never break up; we did. Yet I’m not ready to state that we’ll never reconcile either: I believe in hope and in miracles. I just think that those simple words allow us to live with our hands open rather than closed, not imposing our own limits on life but being open to and accepting of whatever happens. And if there is something we can control and change, we should try, with God’s help. Thanks again for sharing.
Hi Jeannie, so good to hear from you. I’m SO SORRY about the loss of your friendship. That is tough. Interesting that you turned 50 just one month before I did! I love your watch word, “Never say never.” It is so true, so important to live with hands open, as you say.
Okay, Betsy. Where do I find your recipe for teriyaki chicken salad? My #50 life hack would be, use a dry erase marker to write the word “dirty” on the inside of your dishwasher door every time you empty it. The word will stay there for as long as it takes to fill it up with a new load, and will wash away when you run it again. You’ll know as soon as you open the door whether the dishes inside are dirty or clean. (This works well for stainless steel dishwashers. If the interior of your dishwasher isn’t stainless, test in an inconspicuous area to make sure the dry erase will wipe off the surface)