I know there are girls who exist with some amount of confidence.  They aren’t dating.  Or they’re not dating the wrong people.  They’re doing what they do and enjoying it with no thought of anyone but themselves.  And that’s not to say that they’re selfish.  They’re not selfish.  They’re self-aware.  That’s an important thing to be when you’re young.

I’m self-aware these days.  But it took me a long time to get here.  I dated.  And I dated the wrong people.  And I was stupid about a lot of things for whatever reason.  I’d like to go back and change things, but we all know that back pedaling in a life is impossible.  So here I am now.  Self-aware and working my way through my 30s.

One’s 30s seem too old for self-awareness.  If youth is wasted on the young, then self-awareness is also wasted on the young.  At least some of them.  Good on them, I guess.  Though I can’t help but to be mildly jealous.

I listen to NPR. This morning on the Writer’s Almanac, I heard this poem:

Poem: “Words That Make My Stomach Plummet” by Mira McEwan, from Ecstatic. © Allbook Books, 2007. Reprinted with permission.

Words That Make My Stomach Plummet

Committee Meeting. Burden of Proof.
The Simple Truth. Trying To Be Nice.
Honestly. I Could Have Died. I Almost Cried.
It’s Only a Cold Sore.
It’s My Night. Trust Me. Dead Serious.
I Have Everything All Under Control.
I’m Famous For My Honesty.
I’m Simply Beside Myself. We’re On The Same Page.
Let’s Not Reinvent The Wheel.
For The Time Being. There Is That.
I’m Not Just Saying That.
I Just Couldn’t Help Myself. I Mean It.

The formatting is off. I’m sorry about that. But I thought the idea of it was genius. Mainly because I have been compiling my own list of words/phrases that annoy the shit out of me. Here’s my start of my own “Words That Make My Stomach Plummet” (but not in a good or exciting way):

Accountability

Teachable Moment

FYI

Well-written

Learning outcomes