Po Po Patrol

On my drive home yesterday I noticed 3 police officers standing at the end of my street. Thankfully I was going the speed limit and I was very pleased to see that they were running radar on people driving down the cross street. I quietly laughed to myself as I realized that I'm at the point in my life where I appreciate the police presence instead of hide from it.

Now I don't consider myself to be old by any means...BUT...I have noticed that I am older and with that age/time, has come the appreciation for different things.

So here, my friends, is a top 10 list for you.

Top 10 Things I appreciate NOW, that I didn't THEN

10. I appreciate the law and I respect it. In my younger years, I was always fearful of getting in trouble. I didn't really do much that warranted this fear other than speeding. Now I appreciate it when I see a police officer driving thru my neighborhood or several of them having a meal at a local restaurant. It gives me peace of mind.

9. I appreciate the look of a nicely manicured lawn. I secretly wish we had an HOA because I think I could win that award every once in awhile and because that guy a few streets down would NOT be able to have all of that crap in his yard.

8. I appreciate the news. Not because I used to work in TV, but because I actually enjoy knowing what is going on in the world (unless its a story about an animal being hurt, and in that case, i don't want to know)

7. I appreciate low gas prices. My parents used to always play a little game in the car where they'd teach me to point out low gas prices...I still don't know how they made that fun, but it was...and I play that game every day!

6. I appreciate coffee. I used to love waking up to the smell of it but I never liked the taste of it. I never drank coffee until I started working and experienced such a thing as an 8am sales meeting. Now I have coffee everymorning.

5. I appreciate photos. When I was younger, even in college, I always wanted to be IN the photos but I never took any. Because of this, I have very few photos of my college years as my mom wasn't there to take them and I didn't shell out the $5 for every party time sorority photo.

4. I appreciate the wisdom of others. Now, more than ever, I wish I could sit down with each of my grandparents and talk candidly with them about everything under the sun. Most of those questions start with, "How did you handle, how did you get thru, how did you know?"

3. I appreciate my education. I think the 4 years (okay 5) of college allowed me time and room to grow. I respect anyone who started working straight out of high school because there is no way I would've had the discipline to be a good employee. I learned so much about life and who I wanted to be. Most of what I learned from college wasn't in the classroom.

2. I appreciate good food and fine wine. I remember the days when we would eat anything if it was free and drink anything if it was alcohol (seriously, natty light? what were we thinking?) I don't always spring for the "good" wine but I definitely have a preference for what I like and I won't just drink anything I find. And now that I enjoy cooking so much, I appreciate it any time we go out to eat and I know that someone worked hard to put that food on my plate.

And the number one thing I appreciate NOW, that I didn't THEN
1. I appreciate a budget and a sound financial mind. So many of my friends do not make smart choices when it comes to their finances. I hate to see/hear that and I wish I could help but financial stability will only develop when you're ready to be disciplined. Current BF could write a book on financial responsibility and I'm lucky enough to be in a situation where he's able to rub off on me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not rich at all but if you ever need pointers on where to pinch and save, I've got a ton!