Hmm. What truths have I learned in 41 years......
1. You never know what you have until it's gone.
2. Contrary to flowery idealism, family is not all that matters and home is not always where the heart is. I think Christina Crawford would back me up on this.
3. If someone has good gossip FOR you, they also have good gossip ABOUT you.
4. Just because someone doesn't call you a faggot to your face doesn't mean they consider you an equal.
5. Someone asks you: "I'll try to find someone else to do it. But if I can't, will YOU do it?". If you say "yes", they'll never bother looking, and you'll end up doing it.
6. In some form or another, the supernatural exists. Write it down each time you encounter an improbable coincidence (for example: "How odd. I was JUST thinking about that, and now....."). As the list grows, statistical probability will seem like a laughable explanation.