Thirty-Four - The Future Is Now

And so we've come to the end of the story...well, at least, the story so far.

And while this entry is meant to signify year thirty-four...I cannot finish it.  At least not yet.

You see...34 is not over yet.  My thirty-fourth birthday was just a couple of weeks ago.  And I have no idea how this chapter of my book of life is going to end.

So, I've decided to go a different route for this entry.  Don't look at this as a conclusion...instead, look at it as a new beginning of sorts.

The year that things start to make sense.

The year in which I realize that I've lived a fairly good life...even though there were times in which it didn't seem that way!

Of course, we have a little bit of business to take care of first.

Let's see a mugshot here.  Why don't I just use my current profile pic on Facebook.

Ah, now there's a reason why I chose this one.  Earlier this year, I had an article published in "The Digest Enthusiast" and this was the photo I used...well, one of them anyway.

I need a better headshot.

No news on what the hottest shows on television are because the 2015/2016 television season hasn't started yet.  But I do have information on the hottest song and movie!

#1 SONG THE WEEK OF 5/18/2015

"See You Again" - WIZ KHALIFA f. CHARLIE PUTH

According to some research, this song is still at the top of the charts, though Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" overthrew it briefly before it took its spot back.  The song appears on the "Furious 7" soundtrack, and is a tribute to the late Paul Walker, who was killed in a car accident in November 2013.

#1 AT THE BOX OFFICE THE WEEK OF 5/18/2015

"Pitch Perfect 2"

Although it wasn't as well loved as the original "Pitch Perfect", the movie still did quite well in theatres and many people speak highly of it.  Though, I'm not quite sure how Rebel Wilson being 35 instead of 29 really makes much of a difference.

Okay, so this is the finale of the month (and a bit) long look back at this retrospective.  And, well...I figure that I'd start by summarizing all the lessons that I learned over the last 34 years based on what I lived through.

Lesson #00 - You can't always predict time.  Go at your own pace, even if it means you achieve a goal three weeks later.

Lesson #01 - Never look a gift horse in the mouth.  Especially if that gift horse has chicken pox.

Lesson #02 - Always put a smile on your face.  Especially in front of a camera.

Lesson #03 - If you hear something that you don't like, ignore it or turn it off.

Lesson #04 - You are never too young to learn new things.

Lesson #05 - Sometimes, you can't always go home again.

Lesson #06 - Fictional characters can sometimes make good company.

Lesson #07 - No matter what age you are, hospitals can still be scary places.

Lesson #08 - We are born.  We sometimes get married.  We die.  Make the most of everything in between.

Lesson #09 - Love and respect your parents.  You only get two.

Lesson #10 - Too much of anything is bad for you.

Lesson #11 - If talking about problems is difficult for you, write it out.

Lesson #12 - Be true to yourself and ignore the haters.  Listen to your own life soundtrack and put everyone else on mute.

Lesson #13 - Sometimes you have to experiment before you find something you're good at.

Lesson #14 - You can always find the bright side on the most terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

Lesson #15 - Physical scars heal.
Lesson #16 - Emotional scars are forever.

Lesson #17 - Sometimes breaking away from the pack can make you have a most excellent adventure - as long as you don't hold up the tour bus.

Lesson #18 - Life is so much better than high school.

Lesson #19 - Surrounding yourself with great people makes one instantly happy.

Lesson #20 - Don't make a commitment without thinking it through.  It'll save you stress.  Not to mention fourteen thousand dollars.

Lesson #21 - Everyone deserves at least some time to find themselves, be it a week, a month, or even a year.

Lesson #22 - The best knowledge comes from the mouths of babes - or, five-year-olds.

Lesson #23 - To find stability, one must survive instability.

Lesson #24 - Everyone has to start at the bottom to appreciate things even more.

Lesson #25 - Sometimes you have to escape reality and play make-believe, no matter what age you are.

Lesson #26 - True friendship never dies...even long after you lose them.

Lesson #27 - Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step in a lot of cases.

Lesson #28 - Sometimes the best motivator is a huge support system.

Lesson #29 - If you feel that something is wrong, get it checked out.  Otherwise you risk losing an organ and a half to save your life!

Lesson #30 - It's never too late to start a project.

Lesson #31 - Don't stand out in the hot sun too long.

Lesson #32 - Sometimes, charity begins at home.

Lesson #33 - Poison kills...and that includes poisonous people.

And as for Lesson #34?  I won't know what that is until next May...when I turn three and a half decades old.  But I do know one thing.  Whatever lesson I take from year 34, it will be just as important as the lessons that I have learned over my whole life. 

Seriously, here's an exercise for all of you.  I want you to come up with one lesson that you learned from each and every year of your life, and write it out like I have, video log it, or just think about it and keep it inside yourself.  It's amazing how cathartic it is.

Only time will tell what this year will bring.  I do know that now that this blog has been around for four years, and I've completed this look back on life so far, I think I feel comfortable enough to ease back into the pop culture and life lessons we can learn from it.  I kind of deviated from the original concept of this blog over the years, and I'd like to steer my way back to that by the time we reach the fifth anniversary of the blog.

(In fact, have a look at the poll next to the blog, and please vote on it!  The poll closes on July 1 at 12:01am!  And yes, I did type 12:01.  I like to be different.)

But one thing is for sure.  No matter what my future holds, I know that I'll get there by being me.  Just as I have gotten through the past thirty-four years before that.

Maybe my life hasn't gone the way that I wanted it to go...but I don't regret a single thing about it (well, except maybe the period spanning 20-21).  I've shared thirty-four years of lessons and stories, and I look back on it fondly.  Sure, there were hard times.  And yes, things could have been a lot easier.  But this is who I was.  This is who I am.  And this is who I'm going to be.

This chapter may be closed for now.  But it continues to be added to each day...

...to a life well lived.  So far.