Friday Tapas: The Older and Wiser Edition

It is said that with age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone. And I believe that – just look at Rush Limbaugh.

But I’d like to think I have learned a few things over the years. In fact, compared to my 19-year-old self nearly half a lifetime ago, I’m downright brilliant now. So, this week I’m serving up a few nuggets of insight I’ve been pondering as I embark upon my 38th year on this earth.

Although I make no promises that my insight will be particularly insightful.

• If I do not fold the weekend laundry by 7 p.m. on Sunday night, then it will remain unfolded for the rest of the week. This I know to be true.

• Lil’ Bit has dubbed birthday cake “happy cake.” Such astuteness from a 2-year-old. After all, cake certainly makes me happy.

• I recently asked Hubs to pick up salt at the grocery store. “I need one regular salt and one kosher salt,” I told him. To which he replied, “What if I get two regular salts, and then we just bless one of them?” Reminding me once again that while romance ebbs and flows in a marriage, humor stands the test of time.

• Lil’ Bit fell out of her chair at school the other morning. And then her whole world proceeded to fall apart as I stood by trying not to laugh. (Don’t judge – it was a tiny little chair.) By the time I arrived to pick her up that afternoon, however, it was plain to see that both she and her pride had made a full recovery. Thereby proving the old adage spoken by countless mothers to their children throughout the ages: It’ll be better by the time you get married. 

• I believe that goat cheese just makes the world a better place. Case in point? My new favorite healthy-yet-delicious sandwich: Spread almond butter on both slices of a cinnamon raisin English muffin (fresh or toasted), and add apple slices, goat cheese, and a drizzle of agave nectar. Without the goat cheese, the sandwich is tasty. But with the goat cheese? It’s like a little orgasm for your mouth. Trust me when I say that you need more goat cheese in your life. I’m insightful – remember?

• I was floored by how many people were into my uber-organized sock drawer this week. You guys? That post also included steamy sex coupons, a book entitled Tickle His Pickle, and a guy named Arthur Redfern singing GNR with a garage band named “Loveslave.” And yet the majority of your comments focused on sock drawer envy. So. At least I’m not the only one around here showing her age.

• Skimming Blissdom recaps, I was amused by the difference in those written by the twentysomethings who attended vs. those in their thirties and forties. The latter wrote thoughtful reflections on why they chose to go and what they learned from the experience – and also how seeing Rascal Flatts was kind of cool. The former, meanwhile, were all, “Joe Jonas, ZOMG!!!”  They also called the entire event “totes amazeballs” – which loosely translated, I believe means, “It was good.”

And here are some other pearls of wisdom from around the blogosphere this week:

• In a move that was decidedly unwise, two teenage girls recently took to YouTube to post an oddly cheerful 14-minute racist rant that gained them instant notoriety of the most unwelcome kind. But rather than criticize their actions, writer David McMillan chose to turn the incident into a lesson highlighting the basic Do’s and Don’ts of social media. His article How to Ruin Your Life in Fourteen Minutes is a must-read for anyone who uses social media and/or has a blog.

• Alycia at Crayon Wrangler struck a nerve this week with her post entitled Your Beginning. All at once comforting and inspiring to anyone struggling to find their purpose in life, it details the humble beginnings of some of our society’s most successful writers, artists, and business people – each of whom found success at different stages in their lives, under vastly different circumstances. Proving that there might just be something to the old saying, “Age is just a number.”

• And in an incredibly funny, poignant, and all-around awesome post called Surrender, KLZ from Taming Insanity lovingly implores older versions of her two small sons to embrace their true selves as they make their way through life. I adored this post, admittedly to the rare point of content envy. Because with each passing year, I find myself growing more comfortable in my own skin – and enjoying the insight such surrender brings.

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OK, then – that’s all I got as far as wisdom goes.

Imparting so much knowledge has made me awfully sleepy. So, I’m off to enjoy a restful weekend after a truly lovely birthday that included a bottle of wine from my husband delivered to my office (SO much better than flowers!), a lemon raspberry “happy cake” from my co-workers, and a fabulous birthday dinner of pizza with prosciutto and goat cheese.

Wine, cake, and goat cheese?

Totes amazeballs.

So, what’s on your mind?