The Bagel Year

I'm 24 now, which is an age that kind of reminds me of a bagel: not super exciting, really just makes you crave donuts, is just a filler until your next meal, and usually isn't that great unless you pay a lot of money. No one really Instagrams their bagels, because no one is usually proud that they're eating a bagel.

Happy bagel year, Whitney.

24. I'm really trying to engrain this in my brain because for the past 365 days, I've forgotten my age every time I've been asked. I quiz myself throughout the day, how old are you, Whitney? 24. 24. Twenty-four. I am twenty-four years old. "Bagels" have 2 + 4 letters. 24.

I sit here drinking tea to combat sinuses while my father-in-law strums out jazzy Christmas songs in the next room, and my husband is making me soup. It's one of those "sicknesses" where I can't quite tell if I'm sick or if I'm just being a brat and want to sleep a lot and be waited on and not work.

So I'm sitting here blaming my sickness on all the refined sugar I've consumed in the past week (birthday) because I actually am becoming one of those crazy whole food people which I both love and loathe about myself because I've actually asked baristas, "Do you know if your coconut milk has added sugar?"  **blank stares** "Um, no I don't know." "I'm so sorry, never mind, never mind I'll just have regular milk, I'm so sorry....I'll buy you a bagel?"

So, in celebration of my birthday last week, here is a list of 15 things I've learned in the past year, in no particular order:

1) DON'T sleep on an air mattress for the first two weeks of marriage, if you can help it.

2) This world is simultaneously full of both rejoicing and grief. The day I got engaged, a 17 year-old that some of my friends knew was dying from a brain tumor; the day my nephew came out of a brain surgery perfectly fine, one of my sweet mentors died; and the day before my birthday, a 23 year-old recently-married acquaintance of mine was devastatingly killed in a car accident. Always be mindful of the mourning during your rejoicing. On the best day of your life, someone is having their worst, so let these tragedies amidst your victories remind you that this world is only temporary, and to never let a good thing on this Earth distract you from eternity.

3) If you ever order something from a grocery store bakery, give those girls a lot of notice. And remember they're probably staying late to make your large order. Oh, and also, bakery girls don't always know where things are; they work in the BAKERY. We...I mean they... know where the baked goods are, and that's it. And maybe one of them is support raising to be a missionary and just has this job to make ends meet for now and they are JUST TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE DAY JUST LIKE YOU ARE.  sorry.

4) Marriage is cool, but does NOT prevent loneliness, fear, insecurity, or hopelessness. But Jesus can!
        4a) While we're on this marriage subject, the biggest character trait you can look for in someone is meekness. Meek people have a heart of gold, and their lavish, unselfish love stirs my heart to do good. If you're wondering what meekness is, see the life of Jesus.

5). RSVP to weddings.

6) If you're having trouble forgiving someone (especially if they're a believer!), imagine yourself throwing their sin upon Jesus' back. Seriously, hoist it upon Him. And imagine Jesus carrying this sin upon His shoulders, stumbling up the hill with it upon His back, and dying painfully for it. Likely, you'll sense the injustice of His death much more than when you envision your own sins upon His shoulders, you'll be ever more grateful for the Gospel, and this gratefulness may help you forgive. (plus this is a pretty accurate picture of how Jesus has already paid for their sins anyway)

7) Eating less [refined] sugar has reduced anxiety, helped me sleep better, lessened my need to work out, and made me crave sugar less. Less sugar, more veggies. You WILL feel better. [and don't eat bagels, they are horrible for you]

8) No matter how discouraged you are, remember how He has come through in the past, through utterly hopeless situations. We have seen Him provide in the nick of time, thundering in through discouraged tears with victory and rejoicing. Your season has a purpose, and will soon be a glorious, victorious story. What if we faced discouragement with that attitude of expectation?

9) Crap, yoga pants are so comfy, guys. And I was one of the ones against them. Why are they so comfy? Please don't lust after me; I'm addicted. I need help. But I don't want help. What I want is to wear yoga pants ALL THE TIME.

10) Your only expectation for life should be that God will get you through it gloriously, so you can laugh at things that would normally be depressingly pitiful, like buying black WalMart pants for your new grocery store job, peeing while your brother-in-law showers because your in-laws only have one bathroom and you've reeeally got to go, oh and having sex in my 17 year-old brother-in-law's bed because, well, that's where we sleep.

11) Men don't close the shower curtain. And apparently not closing the shower curtain never bothered me in my parents' home but it does in our own.

12) Today's crisis is tomorrow's joke.

13) Never over-romanticize ministry, or you will be unprepared when you enter ministry and find that it requires too much hard work, sacrifice, discouragement, and tears to ever be romanticized.

14) Sometimes the people whose faith you respect the most will walk away from the Light.

15) I never regret the times I'm outgoing and kind. I almost always do when I'm shy.


Here we go, 24.