47 things I've learned in 47 years

I'm in the doldrums.  Winter lingers and the placid sea merely offers buoyancy; no direction.  I'm feeling introspective and so here it goes, in no particular order of significance....

1. You can always change your mind.  The road to change may not come easy, but there is no path from which you cannot diverge.
2. Life is about relationships.  Maintain them with the utmost care.
3. Always be willing to step outside your comfort zone.  The greatest moments of your life result from the unexpected detour, the choice you wanted to say no to but didn't.  
4. Buy the ticket, take the ride.  See your decisions through and deal with the consequences.  
5. Things happen for a reason; sometimes that reason is piss-poor judgement, bad luck or lack of perspective.  Learn from these moments and move on.
6. Follow your bliss.  
7. Trust your visions.
8. No one can give you answers, but seek out people whom you believe can anyway.  You'll probably end up calling each other friends for life.
9. Every problem hides a kernel of wisdom.  Break it apart.  Use a hammer if you need to, but discover whatever it is you're supposed to learn from it.  
10. Sometimes we act, sometimes we are acted upon.  There are equal merits to either condition.
11. Treat every person you meet with respect and dignity and you will meet god many times over.
12. Everyone should have one shitty job in their life.  A job where you serve people and are made to feel invisible.  There is a clarity from this experience that nothing else offers.
13. Your relationship with money is just that; decide whether it is a long or short term, honest, caring, abusive or destructive, and act accordingly.  If you don't like the results, learn to have a different relationship.
14. Buy the best shoes you can afford and care for them.
15. Become a snob about one thing, but don't be obnoxious about it.
16. Do something you will never be great at; this is called a hobby.  It should be fun and utterly pointless.
17. Always take a job to learn before you take a job to earn.
18. Learn more about money than your accountant.
19. Be in better shape than your doctor.
20. Your body is the greatest gift you'll ever receive, treat it well.
21. Life is an endurance sport, not a sprint.  Watch your friends and peers revolve on the wheel of fortune and you will understand this.  Stick around, it doesn't get easier but you get better at it.
22. Dress your age, but dress well; how you act is up to you, but own where you are in life.  
23. Go to New York.  Often.
24. Ride roller coasters.
25. Finger paint with your kids and make a mess.  You'll remember why it's fun.
26. Drive a stick shift.
27. Keep a journal.  You don't have to write every day, but you should write at least one entry a week.  
28. Get a really nice pen.
29. Drink water.  Lots of water.
30. Exercise as often as you can, no one is too busy to take care of themselves.  
31. Travel for good friends, good conversation and good experiences.  
32. If your best friend calls and needs you to come, go without hesitation.
33. Do not buy into other people's emotional states or drama.  
34. Read great books.  Seriously.  Even if it takes you a year to read a great novel, you join a society once you do.  You understand metaphors and you get references.  This simple act makes you smarter and opens doors in ways you cannot conceive.  
35. Have a drink with your father-in-law and listen to him.
36. Bad things happen to most people.  What defines us is how we respond to these moments.
37. Discuss religion and politics if you must, but turn the conversation toward BBQ or college football in the South and you should be ready for fist-to-cuffs.  
38. See great art in person.  Art is meant to be experienced live.  
39. Cultivate yourself.  Ignorance is a treatable condition.
40. Take walks.  Don't take your phone, don't wear headphones, don't do it for exercise, just take a damn walk; preferably in the woods, but anyplace outside will do.  
41. Get out of bed when you wake up.  The snooze button is for losers.  My first hour of the day is an amazing personal time where I collect my thoughts and put on my skin for what lies ahead.  I'd rather get up in the dark than get a little extra sleep and try to catch up with myself for the rest of the day.  I always feel there is something profound about seeing the sun rise.
42. Learn to cook.  You will never be without friends.
43. Cultivate one noticeable flaw, but otherwise be your best.  
44. Make a bucket list and start checking it off.
45. Eat local food; no matter where you go.  
46. Love with abandon, live with purpose.
47. The journey is the destination.