32 Life Lessons

So thirty two trips around the sun is supposed to put me right around middle age I guess.  I believe its still 65 that would be considered a nice long life.  If someone sticks around past their 70's then they are doing great to hang in for the long run!   The little peter pan inside me still doesn't ever want to die, but I'm not going to waist the time I have hoping I will gain more time than those who came before me.

We all have to do what we can with what we have.

This is 32 life lessons I decided to challenge myself to write down as part of celebrating my 32nd birthday this year.  32 years should give me some kind of insight on how to live... at least how to live like David.  Some are hopefully funny and some I take very seriously... I will try to make each lesson relevant to the age I was ;)

1.  Momma and Poppa is always there to comfort you and guide you.  Whether this by blood or some other means of connection our parents are like the first representation of God.  They hover over us when we sleep and make sure everything is right.  They catch us and help divert danger that we would have never seen coming and they give us the first feelings of love.  They are our creators and sustain life in the beginning.

2.  I am me.  This is my world and my creation.  My ego is what helps me be who I am.  To experience everything as an individual process of communication with my surroundings.  I love... I hate.... I'm happy.... I'm sad.  I is the point in the middle of the mandala and once I realized this I was free to explore all the mystery around me without feeling lost or disconnected with my center.. with who "I" am.

3.  The world is an open book and full of new things to see everyday.  Read the lines and read in between the lines to get the full experience.  Jump and deal with the response later... whatever the response maybe its new... and new is good.

4.  Routine is comforting as some new things create fear.

5.  Putting books under your pillow doesn't always cause it to come true... but it may certainly give you some good dreams about it.

6.  There is great logic in the children's story Hansel and Gretel.  Leaving a trail of bread crumbs might be a good idea when exploring alone in the woods.  But... if you forget you can always climb the biggest tree to the top and find the trail over the tree tops.

7.  Its better to simply open the gate vs jump over it.  It seems fun to jump over it but you run the risks when you go against the grain.

8.  Almost everything of importance that my parents gave me has been lost.  Grandparents heirlooms like rings and other items of interest.  Don't let your kids play with these things.  I will not let my little girl have her mommas or grandmothers rings until she is older.

9.  No one ever wins in a physical fight.  Even the victor of a physical fight has to deal with pain that is unnecessary.  The one who is smart enough to avoid physical confrontation is the greatest warrior of all... and taunting will not help this cause.

10.  When you go to bed let the dreams begin before you fall asleep

11.  When someone tells you a dream will never work... its worth trying.

12.  Honesty is best... Tell the truth and let it go.  It will disappear.   secrets follow you forever and turn you into a heavy load and still there are cases when silence is the better option.

13.  Most people are not your friends.  They are acquaintances.  Even the ones you will know your entire life.  By the time we die you will be able to count your true friends with your hands.  Hopefully your life partner, brothers and sisters are part of that list, which only leaves room for a few more.

14.  Everyone is out for themselves.  and this is ok... because you should only be concerned about yourself too.

15.  Accept rejections, you will not always get what you want the way you want it.  So be creative and go to the source of your desire.  This secret gives you the ability to always be victorious.

16.  As much as we sometimes don't want it to be... this is real.  Everything is Everything.

17.  There is no need to change yourself to fit in to another ideal form.  Be yourself.  Be clear with who you are.

18.  What you do is how people know you.  Not by what you say.

19.  Crime does pay... but punishment sucks. Be smart about everything you do.  Think it through.

20.  When you want to do something then just do it.  see #11 and #15 again.  Go for it!

21.  The best things in life have no age limit.

22.  Nothing is for free.

23.  Experience is key to true knowledge which is fundamental to honest opinion.  even the bad and unwanted experiences.  An educated opinion without experience weighs less than a fools opinion with experience,  but nothing is heavier than an educated one with the experience.

24.  Only waste your time on things that bring you joy and happiness... then the time is not wasted at all.

25.  Don't be around people that do not share similar interests.  For me all my friends are yogis.

26.  Sometimes you have to let someone take advantage of you to really see who they are.  To truly know if they could be of benefit or destruction.

27.  Everyone with a soul appreciates arts and diversity.  Many on this planet are without souls.

28.  There is no such thing as sin.  Stop the inner critic.

29.  Business is business... yoga has nothing to do with it.

30.  If you pay to go to a class/lecture and the teacher starts talking about god...ask for your money back.  Money should have no place in spiritual transactions. Churches should not have admission fees or monthly dues.  Religions and material gain should be kept separate.

31.  The most beautiful places tend to be the hardest to get to.

32.  The best kept secret is the joy of having children.   As long as you're willing to sacrifice then the experience is pure and full of love.  This is a lesson for all adventures and quests.  "Sacrifice" is key for all practices.

Well this could be simply written off as a lot of bullshit or maybe some of these realizations I have had over the past 32 years may help you along your way.  This took me a few days to write.  1 day to write the first 2... day two I wrote the next 5...and then on day 3 I wrote the remaining 27 lessons.

You think 1 life lesson a year would be simple enough... I have really learn much more than that and half of what I think is probably wrong.  Misconceptions possibly, but for now totally in line with my personal experience of life.

Boom for real!

Hope you enjoyed.

David Kyle
*un-educated point of view