19 is the age you thought was not a big deal like all of those other significant ages, 16 because you could drive, 17 because you could finally get into an R-Rated movie on your own, 18 because…well it is 18 and of course, coming up on 20, you finally will be a so-called "adult", however as I come upon the magical age of 20, I realize that at 19 I have learned a lot of valuable lessons thus far, so without further ado, here are just a few.

1. 20 really is not as old as you thought it was. Growing up we thought that 20 automatically equaled adult because that meant you would be out of your teenage years, but as the age comes closer, you realize just how much of an adult you are not.
2. Time really does heal all wounds. at this point in life, things have happened that have hurt you and you thought you would never stop feeling that pain, but here you are. You did not get over anything overnight but one day you woke up and realized that those things you thought would break you, just do not hurt you anymore.
3. People will not always like you and that is okay. There is really not much more to it. Sometimes people will have a reason and sometimes they will not, the best you can do is not dwell on.
4. You will never regret helping a person, but you will definitely regret not helping them. Whether they are a stranger, a friend, or that person you would probably never chose to be in a room with, someone will need your help at some point and even though it may be easy to walk away at the moment, it will always haunt you later if you do.
5. Having a cheat day will not kill you. Some days you will run five miles and eat a salad, and some days you will sit around watching Netflix and eat everything in sight. It is called balance.
6. Finding yourself is more important than finding a boyfriend. 19 is a really weird age. You find yourself scrolling through Facebook and seeing yet another engagement picture from someone from home and you start feeling this pressure to find your “other half”, but at the end of the day, the perfect person will not come along if you are looking under every rock for them. They come along when you are ready and least expect it. So the best thing is to spend the time you have making sure you love yourself.
7. It does not matter what other people think about your clothes. because it just really does not matter. At the end of the day, it does not matter if you wore yoga pants or a dress, no one else has to go through their day in what you are wearing so you have to make sure that you are comfortable. That does not mean you should or should not dress up, it just means that you should not base your outfit choice on the opinions of others.
8. The little things matter. you realize that no matter how badly you think you have it, there is always someone out there who wishes they were in your shoes. You learn to appreciate things like any time that you are able to take to read, or being able to spend a night with a group of friends.
9. Everybody makes mistakes. Yes, Hannah Montana was not lying when she said that “everybody has those days”. There is not a single person I know who can tell me they have never done something they regret, however, you have to learn that it is only a mistake if you do not learn from it.
10. Your relationship with your siblings changes when you all move out. It is strange, you start to grow apart, not living in the same house every day but you realize that you are all adults. You get busy, but that does not mean you stop having a lifelong friend to call.
11. How to make $20 last until that next paycheck. It happens to the best of us: we wake up on payday feeling like we can do anything…and then a few days later, we find ourselves going over every purchase we have made since birth trying to understand where all of our money went. However, because of this, we have really learned the value of money and just how many different ways we can survive on that little bit of cash we have left until our next direct deposit hits.
12. Coffee is your friend. No really, it is. Sometimes you need it for that push at 3 a.m. when you are trying to cram for that final...and sometimes you need it for that final at 7 a.m. after barely getting any sleep. But no matter the occasion, coffee is always there.
13. High school does not matter as much as you thought it did. Of course I am not talking about the actual work you put in there (although let’s be honest, I am two years into college and I still do not know why I care that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell). No, what I really mean is, all those things we thought were important in high school, the clothes, the drama, the opinions of people who have not attempted to contact you since graduation… it really was never as serious as you thought it was.
14. People will always have high expectations of you. Whether it comes from your professors or your parents, there is always someone who will have expectations you think you cannot meet. However, you learn that what matters the most is meeting the expectations you set for yourself.
15. How to make calls for yourself. This is not something that was always difficult for most people, but for people who grew up like me with their parents doing everything, you probably felt more than a little anxiety at the thought of setting up my own eye and doctor appointments. Being able to do this is something that I actually take a lot of pride in now.
16. A job making minimum is better than no job. The struggle is real for everyone. At this point, you realize that it really does not matter what you are doing as long as you are doing something because, at the end of the day, money is money.
17. You should not eat out if you cannot tip your waiter accordingly. If at this point you understand the concept that any job is better than no job, you have probably learned just how much we should appreciate our waiters. They get paid less than minimum and generally work in pretty stressful environments. Sure you can say that “they know what they signed up for” but you also knew you were going to be eating somewhere that a tip is probably expected.
18. Not everyone cares as much as you do. If there is one lesson I have learned that has been hard to deal with still, it is this one; sometimes people just do not care as much as you do. You put your all into a friendship or relationship and the other person does not share the same enthusiasm. But that is okay. It does not mean you should give up on all people, it simply means that when you are blessed enough to have people put into your life that shares the same love and care you do for them, you understand how important it is to hold onto them.
19. Sometimes all you need to make your day better is to call your mom. Whether it has been a bad or good day, there is just something about calling your mom to tell her about it that makes you feel better, and she really does appreciate the call.