‘24 things I’ve learned
At the conclusion of each calendar year, I like to share some little bits of trivia and wisdom I've gained over the last twelve months.
This annual list building in my seventh year, fourth shared publicly, is never meant to be exhaustive but rather—and minimally—a reminder to myself. A reminder that there are always things left to learn. Some are lessons, some simply new information.
But all offer the same gift. Life is worth living while learning.
My hope is that, in reading this short list, you might be inspired to recollect what you have learned this past year and express even a small bit of gratitude for the ways you too have grown.
A human experience that isn’t about making sense of everything at once but about recognizing the temporal, tender, and complex nature of human life. — Morgan Harper Nichols
Things I learned in 2024:
1. Natural Bridge is the tallest limestone arch in all of North America.
2. The mental benefits of running one mile a day for a month far outweighs the physical benefits.
3. Charisma commands loyalty. Energy does not. (Simon Sinek)
4. I’ll take an Irish reel over an Instagram reel any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
5. Flannery O’Connor died 60 years ago this year — on August 3, 1964.
6. A USB-C charger can power a MacBook via the thunderbolt port.
7. You’re going to pay twice as much on shipping with a bubbled wrapped envelope than a normal one.
8. There are many things in life which should not be taken for granted. A closet shelf [that stays a shelf] is one of those things.
9. Heart work is the hardest work we have to do.
10. Global stamps are thing.
11. The only space to grow comfortable in is our spiritual poverty.
12. The instinct to ask for prayers is really an instant invitation to pray ourselves.
13. We cannot seek and ask enough for small graces.
14. I love dates… especially if that date is medjool.
15. Always, always, always check the back seat of an Amtrak train seat.
16. You will end up a puddle if you bike in 100° weather.
17. Nothing makes me want to write a letter more than reading the letters of another.
18. Two weeks of cold showers sure helps you appreciate a hot one.
19. According to the Smithsonian Zoo, there were an estimated 30 million bison that roamed the grasslands of North America.
20. It’s possible to get out of shape of dreaming.
21. The scientific name for an Irish Yew tree is a Taxus Baccata.
22. Misery attracts Mercy. God wants to go to all the places we don’t want to be in.
23. True Winter or True Summer are my best colors.
24. Going through your saved content on Instagram keeps you aware of what your heart is drawn to and longing for.
We only end the year in gratitude and start the new year in hope by and with God’s grace. So it’s by and through God’s grace that I am grateful for this year of learning, and for the opportunity begin anew in the new calendar year ahead!