Reflections upon my 25th birthday

Today I’m a quarter century old. Wow. It feels like it should feel more significant than it does right now. I mean, aside from Bo Derek being exactly twice my age today.

I think part of the reason it doesn’t feel like it’s so significant is because of Abby’s death. (For those that don’t follow me on MySpace, she was Matthew’s youngest cousin and was found in her bed Saturday morning by her father.) It seems so unreal that she’s gone. I mean, 18 year olds aren’t supposed to just go to bed and never get up. That’s what people in their 80s do. The funeral is Saturday. We’re driving in that morning and leaving that night to avoid all the holiday traffic. We’ll be donating money to the local ASPCA in her memory since she loved animals.

What’s so surreal is that she mailed me and Brad (one of the other cousins) our birthday cards just before she died. I don’t know about Brad, but mine hasn’t come yet. We’ll see what today’s mail brings. I think that’ll be really hard to read. I almost don’t want to open it when it comes. Like leaving it alone will keep her around somehow. I know whatever it is will make me really sad. I just keep thinking about all the things I’ve gotten to do since I was her age, or in my life overall, that she never did and now won’t ever be able to.

In her honor, I wanted to pass along some of life’s lessons.

Life isn’t fair.
Be nice to everyone, no matter how hard it is, you have no idea what their life is like.
Don’t hook your best friend up with an ex… it all ends in tears.
Adding drama isn’t worth it; life is exciting as it is.
You can never judge a book by its cover, or a person by their screen name.
Wear sunscreen.
The only issues from life to keep around are the ones that sit on your coffee table.
Marriages on the playground end a lot easier than the ones in real life.
Planet “Look-at-Me” tends to be very lonely.
Always going with the crowd tends to suck.
You can’t protect the ones you love from everything, especially not their selves.
When a guy tells you you’re too good for him, believe it and walk away.
A leopard really can’t change his spots; but he sure will try.
When older, wiser friends tell you to back down from a situation, they’re probably right.
Happiness really can grow from pain.
Don’t put people on pedestals, we’re all human and bound to make mistakes in our lives.
Pride goeth before the fall… of Napster.
Popularity costs you to do/ say things you don’t want to, and that guilt doesn’t go away.
Man-kini Speedos NEVER look good on ANYONE.
You don’t always marry your “type.”
To love yourself is the first step to true love.
If you tell yourself something long enough, you will believe it.
Cancer sucks.
Stay true to what you believe, you may not be popular, but at least you didn’t sell out.