what i know at 27.

Don't make your career the thing about you. Make joy the thing about you. Or a sense of humor. Or optimism. But not your career.

Try to remember that everyone is going through something that feels hard and a little bit hopeless. Show compassion for others and also for yourself.

Give yourself permission to let things go. Forgive yourself. Move on. (This is hard. Start really small.)

You will begin to notice lines (re: wrinkles) forming between your eyebrows and you'll spend too much time examining those lines in the mirror. Stop. Be more interesting than that.

Make the bed most days, but don't make it every now and then, too.

Find joy in small things. File those small things away and save them for a moment when you really need them* (*middle of winter, very cold and wet, dark at 4:30 PM).

Choose kindness. There are a number of ways to respond to situations and people. The kind way is the best way. Every time.

An expert will come to your house to help your dog with his separation anxiety and tell you that dogs don't have a sense of self or think human thoughts or feel certain emotions. Recognize that while this is "true," it's actually not true. Talk to your dog anyway and know that out of all the dogs in the universe, he is the one single dog that actually understands.

When you feel a little bit sad about the state of the world, remember that flowers bloom through cracks in the sidewalk without any help from anyone.

At one point in your life, 27 seemed like an age where you might have lots of things figured out. Realize that "having things figured out" is an illusion that was mostly created to make you feel bad. You are a human being with lots to give. That is enough.