On July 8 I turned 19 along with my twin sister. Even though that day didn't make me feel or look any different, I had a sense of nostalgia as I realized I only had one more year of being a teenager. I also started to contemplate what the past years of my life have been like. I have definitely grown way more mature, especially after leaving for college. Here are the 19 lessons I have learned after 19 years of living.
1. Friends will come and go. But there will be a select few that will never leave.
2. High school is not like in the movies.
3. Grades do not matter as much as I thought they did.
4. When humans fail you, dogs will always love you.
5. Adults do not know everything.
6. And becoming an adult doesn't make you more mature. Experience does.
7. College isn't as scary as it looks like it will be.
8. You can have more than one home.
9. Teachers do not know everything. So do not look at them like supreme beings. But also respect them.
10. People will change. Some for the better and some for the worse.
11. Do not let the older generations put you down. Every generation has its differences.
12. Gain your own opinions instead of just taking others' because it is convenient.
13. Everyone deserves equality no matter their race, sexuality, class or gender. Basically, don't be ignorant.
14. Document important moments in your life. You will want to remember them later even if you don't think you will.
15. High school is not "the best years of your life" unless you believe they will be.
16. Gender roles are useless. Don't give into them and instead fight against them.
17. Not everyone is good and not everyone cares about you. So while you should treat everyone with respect, not everyone deserves your attention.
18. The world if full of awful things but turning a cheek to it will just make it worse.
19. There will be horrible points in your life but they always get better. And in a few years your misfortunes will just be a memory.
And there it is. These lessons are definitely not unique to me but I did try to make it as personal as possible. Even though I am only 19, I feel as if I have gained some decent knowledge. But the goal is that each year I will learn more and more. I hope that you can take something from these lessons or at least agree that you too have realized the same things.
