Krystle's Korner

Inspired by my precious baby Jessica turning 16, I have compounded my words of "wisdom" to share with her, in hopes that she may learn to live these lessons as I continue to do, and feel blessed as some people never do.

16 Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me When I Turned 16

1) Know and accept that you will make mistakes. The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re scared to make a mistake. Don’t hesitate and don’t doubt yourself. It’s not about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You never know 100% if will work, but if you do nothing, you know 100% that it won’t! If you don’t try, you won’t know, and then you’ll always wonder.

2) People cannot read your mind; tell them what you’re thinking. People won’t know what you’re thinking unless you tell them. In friends, in family, in work, we all have different perceptions, different perspectives and different experiences. Communicate with everyone around you. Talk, listen, understand.

3) What other people think of you is none of your business. No matter what you do or where you go, there will always be someone waiting to judge or criticize you. Let them worry about them, and you worry about you. (If you knew how little others thought about you, you wouldn’t worry so much about what others think about you.)

4) Ask as many questions as you can. It’s alright not to know all the answers. Life is a constant, changing journey, and we learn from the people and the environment around us. Don’t be afraid of someone thinking you are stupid, and don’t make others feel stupid when they ask questions. (What other people think of you is none of your business!)

5) Live within your means. Live comfortably, not hastily. Don’t spend money you don’t have, and always have some money saved for a rainy day. Control your money; don’t let it control you.

6) Live for today, plan for tomorrow. Make your time count. Don’t disregard the future, and don’t forget about today. Set yourself up for an enjoyable future, while still experiencing the things that make you happy today. No matter what age you die, don’t leave your life unlived.

7) No one is in charge of your happiness except for you. Period. Figure out what makes you happy, and then figure out how to attain it. Every once in a while, stop, reevaluate, and replan to ensure you are always on your road to happiness.

8) People are going to disappoint you. No matter how hard you try to protect yourself from hurt, people you love and care about will hurt you. Hurt lives rent-free in our heads and needlessly takes up space we could use for happiness. Let go of those who hurt you continually or intentionally, and forgive those who benefit your esteem much more than they hurt it.

9) Be you. Be honest with yourself – you are the only one who has to live with you for your entire life. Follow your heart and be who you want to be. Out of all the billions of people born in the past and all the billions of people yet to be born, you are the only person who ever gets to be you. Don’t try to be somebody else. Embrace yourself, be proud of yourself and live the life that no one else can.

10) Apologize when you should. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone says things they didn’t mean, and everyone does things they wish they shouldn’t. Not everyone apologizes when they were wrong. Be someone who does.

11) Smile. Have fun. You do not own all the problems of the world. Stop worrying so much.

12) Make others feel good, love unconditionally. Be kind, for everyone is fighting their own battle. Do not judge people; you have no idea what their journey has been. Give without expecting anything in return.

13) You teach people how to treat you. You do not have to accept people treating you poorly. Respectfully and tactfully walk away from those who do so. Do not ever let someone love you less than you love yourself.

14) Always be willing to give what you ask to receive. Expect from someone only what you are willing to give them yourself.

15) Every storm runs out of rain. Remember, it could always be better, it could always be worse! “Bad” times help us appreciate the good times more. Time heals almost everything; give it time.

16) Know that you matter. Know that you are loved. You won’t always know whose life you have touched, whose day you made, or who you made smile, but you always matter to more people than you think, and you are always loved by more people than you realize.

And #17, for when you turn 17:

17) Find hard work you love doing. Tell yourself not to pick a career based on other people’s ideas or goals, or because it’s popular or makes you lots of money; tell yourself to pick a career because it’s hard work you love doing. Catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it (or almost every minute!). Hard work isn’t hard when you love what you do. Life is too short to wake up every morning hating how you’re going to spend your day.

I love you always, Auntie Krystle

And the day has arrived!!! A drizzly and wet day, however :( Hard to get inspired to dress up.

TYLER = UNIMPRESSED

First stop is St. Patrick's Cathedral... They said it was free admission online - WRONG! They said you could tour from 6:30am to 8pm - WRONG! Well, the outside looks nice :)

We had a breakfast plate and a coffee at Cathedral Cafe - cute little place.

Then watched the parade - a little rainy and cold, but definitely could have been worse :)

WAITING FOR PARADE TO START, OUTSIDE ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

COLD & WET... BUT WE'RE HERE FOR A GOOD TIME, NOT A LONG TIME! : )

After the parade, we were able to get into the Cathedral, the largest one in Ireland. It was beautiful, as expected. (Forgive me, Lord, for going into such a spiritual and blessed place dressed like such a looney-tune!)

SAINT PATRICK'S CROSS

Then, it was time to celebrate! We stayed out of the "crazy mental" area Temple Bar and hung around the Wexford/Harcourt areas instead - still "mental" but enjoyable!