Things you will regret when you are old

Hello friends! It’s been a minute!

Here’s a little birthday recap for you before I dig deeper into this post. My 24th year of life was such a good one that it was kind of sad to see it go. I mean how could I ever top this year? My two best friends were born and Matthew and I were blessed with healthy babies. It does not get better than that. However, I had a great birthday none the less! It was quiet yet perfect and  what I needed. The day before we celebrated with my family and mowed down on some dougnut cake. So good! Last year I was 34 weeks pregnant and very uncomfortable…not to mention anxiously awaiting to meet my sweet babies!

For those who have been following my journey on here for awhile now, remember my outie belly button Frank?! What a guy! Sad to see him go (but not really)!

Oh sweet Olivia, she was just practicing the waterworks for her and Olivers birthday party coming up – ha! 

This year Matthew took the day off  and we were able to relax as a family. I slept in until 8 a.m. which was the frst time since the twins were born. Matthew got up with them at 7 a.m. and made Kodiac cakes for everyone which were delicious! If you have not tried the peanut butter flavor- highly recommend! After spending the morning playing with Ollie and Liv we snuck out for a few hours while my mom babysat. I even bought two new bras at Victoria Secret because homegirl over here only wears sports bra’s – yikes! It was about time I invested in some nice bras! The day ended with dinner and spending time with our littles. It was just a great day overall.

As my 25th birthday came and went I stumbled upon a post titled: Things you will regret when you are old. I thought that it was ironic onsidering I was yet another year older and thought maybe this would be a solid read along with some great insight! It had 37 things listed on what older people regretted, some spoke to me while others did not as much so I decided to write my own blog reflecting on this post. I’m not sure if it was just the mood I was in when reading it but it brought tears to my eyes skimming through it. Keep in mind, I am not one of those poeple who “feels so old” everytime my birthday comes around the corner.  I still feel young! So please do not think this is a post where I believe I have so much knowledge at the ripe age of 25- Ha! I’m fully aware that I have so much more life to experience and lessons to learn along the way. I honestly just thought it was a cool post with great advice and perspective and wanted to spread the word. From what I gathered the information for this post was collected from 80 year olds – which I thought was super cool! I am obsessed with my grandparents (who are in their 80’s) and honestly all grandparents so I think it hit home because I imagined all of these being things they would say to me.

Here are some of the points that I found very relatable and my personal thoughts:

Things you will reget when you are old:

1.) Forgoing sunscreen

High School I associated beauty with having a perfect bronzed tan. I would purposely forgo the sunscreen and opt for oil to make my tan even better. I stopped caring about being tan a few years ago but man I just look back and think “how stupid can you be Rachel!?”. It’s funny now because I am rarely in the sun – besides a morning walk/run with my babes! On our hour of sun I lather up on the suncreen and them up as well. I’m not purposfully trying to stay out of the sun but with two 11 month olds I really do not have the spare time to lay out – which is a blessing in disguise!

2.) Being scared to do things

I relate to this because this blog and Instagram use to just be a thought, a little dream, and something I never thought I would have the guts to do. My life would be very different, less fulfilling and sad if I had not taken the big leap to pursue what I wanted. I doubted myself for years thinking I wasn’t smart nor interesting enough for anyone to care about my journey. To whomever reading this, please do not waste your time being scared – even if there is a chance of failure. I would rather fail a million times over (which I did) then look back and know in my heart I never succeeded because I never tried to begin with.

3.) Failing to make phsyical fitness a priority

This was a nice reminder to myself on why I am making it a priority now in my life. I never want to look back and think “damn why didn’t I at least try?”.  I want to be able to stay active and play with my kids. That is my entire “why”. This whole get fit postpartum journey is for my babies, simple as that.

4.) Not trying harder in school

I’ve had several people comment on my previous blog posts asking why it mattered if I did well in school or not because it seems that I am doing well now! Well, part was luck and part was me realizing that I was meant for so much more and learning to apply myself. Being a crappy student did not help me though! I could have made my life a hell of a lot easier by just CARING. I regret it because my prioroties were not staight. I take it as a learning lesson and will never half do something again. If I am going to commit to anything I will do it whole heartedly and give it my all. You live and you learn – isn’t that how it goes?

5.) Not listening to your parents advice

Oh man, I could go on and on about all the things my parents told me as a teenager that I would just roll my eyes at. It hit me more in the past two years how much they were right. Sorry mom and dad – I love ya!

6.) Caring too much what other people think

I held off making a blog for two years because I cared what people thought. People who I do not even talk to. Like what?! I do not care what people think of me now. I try my hardest to be the best and most kind person I can possibly be but not at the expense of holding myself back.

7.) Holding grudges, especially with those you love

You are talking to the queen of grudge holding over here. Hi, nice to meet ya! Seriously, I could remember someone doing something mean to me in gradeschool and hold onto it for years- not healthy! I can also remember getting into fights with my siblings and wanting to just “get them back” or I would not be able to move on. Goodness…obviously I know this was wrong so no judging please!

8.) Missing the chance to ask your grandparents questions before they die

This realization hit me when I graduated college – seems like a lot of these points hit me during that time period. I just realized one day that I am so dang lucky both of my grandparents are ALIVE and why am I not reaching out to them more?! When I was engaged and working two jobs out of college I would visit them almost everyday between work shifts. It changed my life and made me better. Now I see them about twice a week and call everyday when I am on a walk with the babies. It instantly brightens my day talking to them and getting advice.

9.) Refusing to let friendships run their course

This one resinated the most with me out of all of these. Have you ever had a friend that was like your very own sibling but it did not work out? I did and it honestly feels like a death to me. I use to never believe the saying “some friends are only meant to be in your life for a chapter not the whole book”. That always came across so cynical to me but I get it now and do believe it. Clinging to what use to be instead of acknowledging that things have changed can be a source of immense sadness and agitation. There was a little rain cloud over my heart for a long time before I came to this realization.

10.) Worrying too much

I am in this stage right now where I am worrying about EVERYTHING. It stems from being a new momma and just wanting the best for my littles. I am happy I can recognize where it comes from and currently focusing on the happiness they bring me rather than worrying about all the “what if’s”.

11.) Not being grateful sooner

I just think of my parents and all they have done for me. Simple as that. Becoming a parent made me realize how much mine truly have done and I hope I can be as selfless/awesome as them.

12.) Not spending enough time with loved ones

In High School my focus was way too much on friends. If I could go back I would have made more effort to spend time with my parents and grandparents. Don’t get me wrong – I love my friends! They are the absolute best! But I should have been more balanced and recognized that.

13.) Not playing with your kids enough

This one resonates with me now! It’s very easy in getting caught up on trying to occupy your little ones so you can clean the house, prep dinner, and work. You know…just do all the things! I do not attempt any work or cleaning while they are awake. Once nap time hits thats when I get my stuff done but when they are awake I am all theirs. This was a nice reminder of that and made me feel that I am doing the right thing!

For this year I really tried to reflect on what I did right but also what I can focus on improving for my 25th year of life! I want to focus on continued patience and just soaking in time with my little ones. I don’t want to take a single second for granted.

Did any of these resonate with you guys? If so, please share below – it would be nice to know that I am not the only sappy emotional one in the bunch! Happy Thursday!