According to a TED Talk I recently watched from spoken word poet Sarah Kay, not everyone is comfortable when starting to write poems, but everyone can write lists. When she began teaching classes on writing poetry, she had her students do just this: create a list of 10 things they know to be true. While I admit I had trouble in high school writing and sharing things I wrote with my peers, I have always been very good at writing lists. After a series of tough days, and weeks, I decided I would try writing my own list of things I know to be true in my life.
1. My siblings are my best friends.
2. Tattoos should be considered fine art.
3. Baristas don't get thanked enough.
4. Not everyone will stay in your life. You need to learn when to let them go.
5. Most songs sound better on vinyl.
6. People won't always be kind, not even the ones who said they could never be mean to you.
7. Astrology gets taken way too seriously sometimes.
8. Sometimes all I need is a change of scenery (it's the Sagittarius in me).
9. Violins, light rain, and genuine laughter are the best sounds in the entire world.
10. Midnight driving is the best way to clear your head.
11. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing with my life, and I am still trying to figure out how to be okay with that.
12. There are few problems that my Nana's mashed potatoes can't fix.
13. I will never be satisfied with my body.
14. Mental disorders are nothing to glamorize or take lightly.
15. Lilo & Stitch is the most underrated Disney movie ever.
16. My family has given me way more than I deserve.
17. There are always three sides to every story.
18. Money is better spent on experiences rather than things.
19. Friends should always be quality over quantity.
20. "Years, lovers, and glasses of wine: these things should not be counted." - Anthony Capella
Whether or not I want to admit that these are true all of the time, I know that there are important life lessons that go along with each thing on this list. Some of them represent times when I was at my lowest and others came after days when I was nothing but happy. Although I could have gone on and on about these different things, I know that these are 20 of the most important things I have come to know over my (almost) 20 years on this earth.
