You know that expression ‘strike while the iron is hot?’

Well I’ve done exactly the opposite of that.

I have officially failed at writing about my New Year’s Eve trip to NYC. Which is such a dang shame because the trip was da boooomb dot coooom. Life just got so busy, you know? If you were really invested in my soiree in NYC and waiting for the second installment with bated breathe (which I know undoubtedly describes all four of you out there that read my blog), there’s a small chance there might be two more posts about NYC coming your way - I asked Rach and Ashley to each write a little diddy about our trip. But I’ll be honest, it isn’t looking too hopeful. What can I say, 2016 just kicked right on off.

Since writing about NYC has been a total bust thus far (here’s a one word recap in case I never mention it again: itwasamaaaaaaazing), I’ve been real laissez faire about writing anything. But I decided tonight, that’s just lame of me. I said I was going to write about my trip, I didn’t (which once again serves to remind me of my life lesson number 19: underpromise and overdeliver), but that doesn’t mean I should just up and stop writing altogether. So all that to say, the NYC ship has sailed, but the what-life-lessons-have-you-learned-throughout-your-life ship is pretty firmly anchored at port.

Allow me to introduce you to Brent.

Brent’s married to my sister Rachael (okay, we’re not biological sisters for you fact checkers out there, but we may as well be). By the way, Brent is married to the NYC Rachael, not the previously blogged about Supper Club, is as young as she’ll ever be Rachael. Common mistake though. So since Rachael is my sister, Brent is in effect like my brother (in technical terms I think the husband of your soul sister may be your brother in-soul-law? I'm not sure). Anyway, you get the point. We’re close. In fact, the three of us call ourselves The Three Philosophers. We love to philosophize in our free time. So for example one of us (Brent) will casually send the group a text in the middle of an average day and ask some sort of weighty, insanswerable question like is healthcare a right or a privilege? See I told you, just a couple of everyday philosophers, the three of us. Since we philosophize on the reg, it came as no shock to me that many of Brent's life lessons are rather deep and philosophical in nature. All of a sudden I'm questioning what the word 'philosophy' even means. I'm going to Google it. Alright, I'm back.

Below are the 27 things Brent has learned in his 27 years of life on planet earth. I think I love all of these. Expect, of course, for number 22 which I'm ethically opposed to because you know, animal rights:)

No one can predict the future.
The world is driven by money.
You can’t change someone if they don’t want to change themselves. But you can set boundaries.
Politics can easily become people's religion - the means by which they, their loved ones, and their country will be “saved."
No worldview is without questions it can't answer.
Don't put anyone on a pedestal - you will be disappointed.
It takes a ton of hard work to be great at anything.
You can love someone and disagree with them, even if the world says you can’t.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Practicing for five minutes a day will take you farther than you think.
It's way harder to do the right thing.
Just because it's popular doesn't mean it's right.
Fads determine a lot of our beliefs, opinions, and tastes.
I value stability and consistency.
Brokenness in families is the rule not the exception.
Teaching a man to fish is better than giving a man a fish, but it is much harder for both parties involved.
People say things on the Internet they wouldn't say in person.
Complaining is the adult version of whining.
It's easy to drift towards bitterness. Joy takes effort.
Don't bottle things up. Talk.
Don't take yourself too seriously.
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Sometimes you gotta go all in or you will get hurt (like when doing a back flip or asking a girl out).
Today's "insurmountable" problems are often forgotten tomorrow.
Science is the best explanation of our natural world that we have at the present time. It is ever-changing and often incomplete.
Differentiating facts and opinions is an important yet often neglected skill.
Everyone wants to dance, some are just scared to.