Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner


A slightly revised and updated version of this list, which was originally posted in August, 2011.  Inspired by Nora Ephron, who did it first and better. A few things I’ve learned along the way:
  • Curly hair will always be curly, no matter what.
  • Using sunscreen on your face every day is critical.
  • Money does not save itself.
  •  You can always make your own good time, even when you’re alone.
  •  Just because you bought it and never wear it, you don’t have to feel guilty about getting rid of it.
  •  You cannot save beignets for later.
  •  Sometimes friendships end.
  •  If you hate your job more than you love it, leave.
  •  Adults don’t know why they do what they do half the time.
  •  If you write down the names of the books you read, you won’t forget about them and buy them again.
  •  Don’t be afraid to travel, even to places where there are flying cockroaches.
  •  Relationships don’t save themselves.
  •  You can start something new and get better at it no matter how old you are.
  •  Difficult conversations aren’t always as bad as you think they’ll be.
  •  Go to the funeral, or send a card.
  •  Children remember the things you’d rather they forget.
  •  Greens are hard to match. You think those shoes go with something you have, but they don’t.
  •  Buy the shoes when you buy the outfit.
  •  When you find a lipstick you like, buy two. This applies to shoes also.
  •  Having a system is a good idea, as long as you make it your own.
  •  Always know whether it is the second Tuesday or the fourth Thursday if there is street sweeping and it says so on the sign.
  •  Sometimes you just forget things. Everyone does.
  •  If you don’t put the photos in an album right away, you never will.
  •  Learn to accessorize if you want to and forget about it if you don’t. Scarves and belts are overrated.
  •  It’s better to do a little every day than to do a lot all at once.
  •  As a grandparent, you will see that what goes around really does come around.
  •  Good bras are worth the money.
  •  Chocolate is not always the answer.

What about you? Anything you wish you’d known ten, twenty, thirty years ago…or yesterday?

12 Responses to Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner

  1. ohhh with you on the shoes and chocolate as well as so many others, though some small part of me keeps hoping that chocolate will solve everything!

  2. Risa Nye says:

    Keep hoping, Lisa. I may be mistaken on this.

  3. KymberlyWE says:

    Love your body now as months or years from now you will look back in awe at what an incredible body you had and how much it did for you.

  4. Kathy says:

    great list…

  5. Donna says:

    So true, why do we have so much wisdom now? No one will listen to me now. They all listened when I suggested stupid things.

  6. I wish I had known sooner that my life would turn out fine. It would have saved me a lot of unnecessary angst—-or did my life turn out ok because the angst motivated me to take certain steps? I’ll never know—but it turned out ok. 🙂

  7. Ava Chin says:

    Loved this list! Especially: “When you find a lipstick you like, buy two. This applies to shoes also.” Why did I only learn this last year? I will have to remember to tell my daughter 😉

  8. Jackie says:

    Yes! Yes! Yes!

    What a great list! Loved it 🙂

  9. Risa says:

    Thanks for stopping by, Jackie!

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