What is the most important new thing you've learned in the last year?

Not to be in the middle of conflict that should not involve me.

Not to give a shit about someone who seeminlgy does not give a shit about me.

That procrastination can cause large regrets.

Out of sight really does help keep things out of mind.

And, I did not really “learn” this, but in the last year I really have started to miss the interaction of going to work every day, and the feeling of accomplishment.

I learned that the cuter they are, the more you need to be on your guard.

I learned to not believe everything that’s on this site. After all this time of being here, I’ve finally been lied to. I’m more skeptical now.

I have learned to let go of worry, anxiety and fear of what might happen and take comfort in knowing that I have made it through every challange that has been placed before me in my 54 years. Three years ago my husband and I decided to take a leap of faith and sell our house and move to another state to help my sister with an interior design store she purchased. The economy made a major down turn about the time we got settled in. Her store did not survive and we had made the mistake of purchasing a home there. We ended up having to sell it in a short sale and move everything back “home”. We moved in with my son. The last 17 months have been very stressful, starting over in a tough economy, sharing a home with my son….etc. I had to learn to look for the positives and to have faith to believe that if I had successfully struggled through raising two sons with very little money and working too many hours, that I could make it through this successfully as well. I decided to look at the good things and see that even a perceived devistation has good moments. Everytime I have gone through a dark time, I have ended up in a much better place than I had ever been before, once I got through it. The advantage of having had so many of these struggles over young people just starting out, is I have something to look back at to confirm this theory. Knowing this makes it much easier to just relax and enjoy the present and look forward to the future, rather than fear it.

The value of living simply. The difference between needs & wants.

Real responsibility

i learned how to make cheese.

People change.
Marijuana is good.
Water retention isn’t pretty.
You’ll always love your parents.

The same thing over & over again! I can only rely on myself! :-/

@Exhausted & @netgrrl

Clapping, standing ovation!

Yeah…what they said!

Oh, and to never, ever, allow others to steal your sunshine because they live in the land of dark clouds. lol

@ChazMaz loll…agreed…

The most important thing I’ve learned in the last year was to stop going to the casinos! They will evenually win…

I learned that losing my job after 30 years isn’t really that horrible. I’m actually kind of excited to see what new things will come my way. And I now know that a big salary doesn’t mean as much as being happy at what I’m doing.

I learned how to love.

To take each day as it comes… good, bad or indifferent… and to deal with it as best I can.

Believe in and follow my instincts the first time.

I learned that eating well and exercise really does make a difference. I’m 55 lb. lighter and have 15 more to go. I’ve learned I can do things if I put my mind to it. I’ve learned confidence. I’ve learned that I’m worth it.

patience is part the creative/timing process. all part of the in and out breath.
observing/stalking vs judging/reacting
floating. or another way to let go.
enjoying just being.
intuitive cooking (not using a cook book-being able to taste it in my mind, then preparing the dish by using inclinations)

Aaaah…so we have reached full membership in the wisdom and maturity club have we?

This is cool…still being new here, to follow the wise crowd!

People, no matter how well you think you know them, are not necessarily how they seem.

And to quote Dr. Gregory House, “Everybody lies.”

@autumn43 Congratulations!

It’s okay to say “no.”

Wow, y’all learned a lot of deep things… I learned the north west corner of my garden has grubs. >.> That may not seem like much but that bit of knowledge is going to save a lot of wasted effort and (hopefully!) help produce a lot of meals for a lot of people. Oh and while I’m not up to @unique‘s level yet, I am learning how to make cheese.

“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.” – Lloyd Alexander

I’ve learned how to make really good hummus.

I’ve learned the real wisdom behind the rule (as it applies to food): “When in doubt, throw it out.” Learned it painfully, but well.

I’ve been learning how to love. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to claim mastery of that art, but I’m getting better.

I’ve learned that Fluther is far superior to AnswerBag, but nothing beats a good real conversation.

In 2009, I didn’t so much learn “how” to love as much as I learned what love was. Romantic love, that is. Sure, I had heard about it a million times, but there’s no knowing what it really is until you actually experience it.

That vaccines have preservatives in them that can cause autism.

@davidbetterman

Well I guess I am too old to worry about autism now…kinda looking forward to dementia, oh wait…I already live in my own little autistic world. lolol

@Coloma Too funny!

@CyanoticWasp That is a really lovely answer

@partyparty and tasty, too! (You were talking about the hummus, right?)

Thank you.

@CyanoticWasp Yes the hummus, but primarily the love and of course Fluther!

@chyna – Thanks!

Sometimes the most unlikely people do come through.

That I can’t make God the size of my problems, I need to constantly elevate him and stop thinking so much of myself, so the cross completely fills my life.

That it’s better to let great friends come to you, instead of transforming someone into something they’re not.

I’ve learned to take care of myself better, and to take care of the earth. Buying natural, or organic when possible…and recycling so much that my household of 3 is down to about 1 (small) bag of garbage every 2 weeks. And no more plastic water bottles.

@Facade Great things to learn. You got it made.

I learned to be happy, no matter what. ENJOY BEING.
Even when you hurt and you cant even clean house, be glad you’ve come this far in honor and kept your integrity. and BELIEFS.
To be happy is to really be yourself.

how to balance a full-time job with grad school
and
not to go off my psychiatric medication-ever

I thought of one more.

I have learned that it is impossible to be just friends with my ex-boyfriend. I’ve taken him down from his pedestal.

I have learned that girls can be more perverted than me when it is late at night and they are away from adults. It sort of scared me a bit.

Tell those you love that you love them everyday; they may not be here tomorrow.

I can hold my own in almost any conversation.

@janbb I can hold my own in my pocket, and no one will ever know. But I learned that a LONNNNNG time ago.

Not quite what I had in mind.

I have learned that I can build and program robots a lot more easily than I ever thought imaginable.

The audacity of hope.