It’s 11:30 on a Friday night and, like a textbook introvert, I’m sitting in bed watching The Mindy Project, having bailed on the party I said I’d go to tonight. My birthday is in two days and by the time this article goes live, I’ll be nineteen. Now seems as good a time as any to reflect on what the past nineteen years have taught me. Obviously this list isn’t representative of the entire nineteen years—the first five or so were mostly filled with the basics of walking, talking, and eating without putting more food on the floor. Regardless, here are a few things that have been on my mind recently.
1. You can try and do everything on your own. But it’s going to be way harder.
Admittedly this is something I’ve realized more than it is something I’ve been able to fully embrace. We’re all works in progress.
2. There’s no point being at a live concert and watching the entire show through your phone screen.
That’s literally what YouTube is for. Put your phone away and appreciate the one-time experience going on in front of you.
3. Nobody—not even your hero—is perfect.
When I think really highly of someone, I tend to refer to them as perfect. But it’s never accurate because none of us is perfect. And admiring and respecting someone means embracing their flaws as well.
4. There’s no bad time for hot chocolate.
You know it’s been a rough day when you end up in the kitchen at midnight on a Wednesday to find your mom already there. But then you realize hot chocolate makes everything just a little bit better.
5. No one else remembers that dumb thing you did three years ago.
That really awkward moment that creeps into your mind late at night when you can’t fall asleep? Yeah, don’t let it eat you alive. Because it may have been mortifying for you, but chances are everyone else has moved on.
6. There’s always a perfect song.
It’s yours. Maybe no one else understands why you love that song so much or how you could listen to it for three days straight. But it’s yours and it’ll always be there.
7. Where you’re from is a part of you, like it or not.
Do I agree with Texas politics? Oh hell no. Do I have a ridiculous amount of Texas pride for someone who moved 2,000 miles away at the first chance? You better believe it.
8. The negative people don’t deserve mental real estate.
I have a lot of pent up feelings. I’ll admit it. But replaying all of the crappy things someone did or said and rehearsing what you’d really like to say to them is just a waste of energy. Say it, or don’t. But don’t let them occupy your mind.
9. For better or worse, nothing lasts forever.
That perfect car ride with your best friends? It eventually comes to an end. But on the bright side, those nights when you can’t stop crying and you’re convinced you’ll never be able to fall asleep? Yeah, they end, too.
10. Guilty pleasures are a waste of time.
What’s the point in being embarrassed for liking something? If it makes you happy, who cares what other people think? I spent most of high school obsessed with One Direction and I literally don’t care who knows.
11. Take pictures of the things you love.
My camera roll is full of pictures of my dog. I have separate folders on my computer for pictures from every high school dance. My room is covered in pictures of my friends and I. Memories fade, pictures last.
12. There’s more value in self-care than there is “glory” in stress.
It wasn’t until last semester when someone told me that grades aren’t the most important thing. It went against everything I believed for seven years, but I believed them. There’s more to life than stressing out, and there’s nothing noble or beautiful about running yourself into the ground.
13. Don’t knock an unusual food combo until you try it.
Fries and a milkshake? Obviously a classic. But how about Cheez-Its and a strawberry smoothie? I promise, it’s not as weird as it sounds.
14. Going out isn’t everything.
As previously mentioned, I am not at a party I said I was going to. When my other commitment ended at 10 , I realized that I was only going to go out because I thought it was what I should do, and that going to a party actually sounded like the worst thing ever. So here I am, and I’m happy.
15. You are what you love, not who loves you.
Yes, that’s a Fall Out Boy quote. Sorry not sorry, it’s true. Don’t lose sight of what makes you happy, that matters a lot more than what others think.
16. It’s better to be the one who smiles than the one who doesn’t smile back.
I tend to look at the ground when I’m walking around because I don’t want to smile at people and run the risk of them not smiling back. It’s a habit I’m trying to break.
17. You can never have too many notebooks.
They’re so pretty! And journaling is great! Notebooks for everyone.
18. The best cure for stress is baby animal videos.
I’m not kidding. Go find a video of dogs raising ducklings or a pig in a dress cuddling a puppy or six-day-old pigs running around or baby bunnies that fit in wine glasses. Poof! Stress gone!
19. Things won’t always go your way.
That doesn’t mean they’re going the wrong way, though. Life is going to take its course and you can’t control that. All you can control is how you respond.
