Friday, May 10, 2013

34 things I know at 34.

Since I turned 34 a few days ago, and haven't blogged in forever, I came up with a list of things I know about myself at this age. 34 is a lot of freakin' things and it took me a few days!

1. I am never too old to be who I want to be, try new things or change my mind.

2. My heart always speaks the truth and will always tell me what you want, but sometimes what I want isn't what I need.

3. I'm not going to get everything I want. I can try, but I won't. And it's ok.

4. Handwritten letters are still best.

5. No matter how independent and no fuss I am, I am still a woman at the end of the day and sometimes I want to be treated like a queen. Make that all the time.

6. I am never going to grow up completely.

7. Sometimes you just gotta let bridges burn, specially when you're the only one using it to meet halfway.

8. Not everyone will like me, and that sucks, but that's life. You can't please everyone.

9. I'll make dumb ass decisions sometimes but as long as I learn from them, I'm not completely hopeless.

10. I'm never going to be good at Math.

11. That said, there is always something new to learn.

12. I am stronger and more resilient than I think.

13. I'm not afraid to love.

14. It's not selfish to put myself first.

15. I still don't like cold soup.

16. I'm a hopeless romantic who tries to be a hopeful realist.

17. I don't regret my tattoos like people said I would.

18. Nobody likes to fail, but I think I'm getting better at accepting when I do and picking myself up after.

19. It sucks as much to break someone's heart as it does to get your heart broken.

20. Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

21. Be reliable when it comes to time, feelings and money.

22. I've learned to choose my battles. Most of the time.

23. I'm not afraid to give sincere compliments. I'm also not afraid to give sincere constructive criticism.

24. My body loves exercise.

25. There will always be someone prettier than me, smarter than me and with a nicer body than me but I've learned to appreciate all the good stuff I have and work with the ones I don't really like.

26. As much as I love clothes, I am happiest barefoot, in denim shorts and a sports bra.

27. I will always choose travel over designer goods.

28. Even if I don't believe in church, I still need some sort of spiritual life. Working on it.

29. The world doesn't stop turning when I am depressed and want everything to stop. Suck it up, Erica.

30. People will break my heart. Even good people. If they are genuinely sorry, I should genuinely forgive.

31. I'm happiest having long conversations about nothing and everything in random places- a park bench, a street corner, someone's balcony or in the dark in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping.

32. I can't live my life living with the on and off pain of this impacted wisdom tooth. I'm too scared to have it removed.

33. I want to travel for a living. My dream of living in different places every few years has not gone away even over a decade later.

34. I am truly blessed and looking forward to what the rest of my life has in store!

To the next 34 years! :)



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes! You go girl!

hello erica said...

Hi, Erica. I'm a big fan of your weight loss. You look great. Did you diet extensively or just mindful eating with exercise? I just enrolled in a gym because you inspired me!

Erica Paredes said...

Mindful eating with exercise :) Was very strict the first 2 months :) i eat regular food but mind my portions now. Im a foodie so can't be on a "diet" forever. What's awesome is that now, Im not just skinny, I feel so fit. And growing up thin, and only really gaining weight in the past couple years, it's super awesome to be back here, but BETTER and STRONGER. Good Luck! :)