I am (still) in the process of moving – staying put come October 1 – and along the way I have been doing that fun routine of going through old boxes, from who knows when, and filtering away the things that have no reason to be kept. And tonight, I came across a scrapbook from my last year in high school.

This book has pages dedicated to best friends, dances, you name it. Yet, there were a few pages with script. After reading an entry I wrote about what I have learned in life, at the age of maybe 17/18,. I surprised myself. These words and thoughts mean the same to me today, but with much more experience, successes and challenges between the years. So here goes, this is what young Kelly drafted 10 years back but still stands by today.

What I Have Learned 

One of the hardest things in life is to love everything about yourself.

From the color of your eyes, to the true person you are.

I have learned not to lose hope in my goals;

Everything that happens, happens for a reason.

I have learned to not lose faith,

Life is a lot harder without Him.

And that every day, is a new day.

I have learned to stop worrying about the small things.

The only outcomes are stress and poor health.

Smile, no matter what mood you are in, in any circumstance it always cheers you up a little bit.

Be nice to everyone you meet, you never know what they are dealing with.

Always put your best forward,

You are blessed with such talents for a reason.

Set some time aside for yourself regularly,

And not get too caught up in everyone else and forget who you are.

(May 16, 2002)