Three things I know to be true

The title for this post comes from an exercise that Sarah Kay gives her students when she travels to give workshops in spoken word. I've been thinking about this exercise recently because I've been learning a lot of new things; things I didn't previously know to be true, but now understand to be true (regardless of how ridiculous).

For instance, I now know that bank appraisers of the FHA variety don't really give a shit about actual safety issues and would rather see a cleanly painted front porch, because evidently, it is more important to LOOK good than to BE functional. How very, oddly, disturbingly American. I have also recently learned that when you apply for a mortgage, the lender will find out EVERYTHING about you, going back to years you'd rather forget.

On the home improvement front, I'm helping my beau install a tile floor in his dining room. No, he's not using me as free labor - I volunteered because I want to know how to install a tile floor. I sensed an opportunity to learn a new skill and boy, have I learned a few things. I now know the difference between 118.1 and 118.4 ANSI rated mortar (the former can ONLY be used between plywood and hardiebacker, the latter can be used between that first layer AND between the hardiebacker and tile). I now know what hardiebacker is and that you need a carbide blade to cut it. I now know the durability differences between ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone tiles (porcelain has the highest durability). I now know that notching out doorways in plywood is difficult until you do it once and then it suddenly becomes obvious how you should have been measuring and cutting all along. I also now know that the phrase "the right tools for the job" is more than true - this is an absolute necessity, especially in home improvement projects, unless you intend to spend three times the amount of time or money, not to mention the stress factor.

So my life in the first month and a half of 2012 has been chock full of new insights. But that's not what this post is about. I wanted to think more broadly, more deeply, more generally and think of three things that I know to be true regardless of the situation. Here's what I came up with:

1. Life is an adventure with screaming highs and abysmal lows, so it is better to live deliberately and fearlessly so that you get the most out of the time you have here on earth (including all of the wonderful relationships that you develop).

2. There will always be someone who doesn't like you and their reasons may be directly related to you or may only be tangentially related to you, but the attendant truth is that you have to be ok with people not liking you. And live life deliberately and fearlessly anyway.

3. Continuously gaining new knowledge and experiences makes life more interesting, dynamic, and discussion-worthy.

What three things do YOU know to be true? :)