Just over a week ago, I celebrated my nineteenth birthday and began what I prefer to think of as one of the most random ages of my young adult life. This year, I have no milestones, like getting my license, buying my first lottery ticket or my first legal drink, to celebrate. I'm old enough to live on my own and pay my own tuition but not old enough to be considered an "adult" by most people or have my first real world job yet. I don't have much to show for myself this year, so in an attempt to feel better about my awkward in-between age, I made a list of nineteen things I'm glad I did by nineteen.
1. Something I'm passionate about
Not everyone would consider running in a circle around a track for six years a "passion." However, running is one of the few things I have been willing to put my time and effort into for the past six years or so. Yes, sometimes it does feel like punishment and can be pretty much awful, but it's also something I'm passionate about.
2. Something I'm proud of
I worked really hard— at times, too hard— in high school to get the grades I wanted, the ACT score I wanted and to get into the college I wanted, but at the end of four years, I had something to show for it. The picture of me hanging in the hallway of my high school with the other valedictorians definitely isn't pretty, but I was still proud to see that my hard work paid off at the end of four years.
3. Took AP classes in high school
While this one may sound pretentious, it has potentially saved me thousands of dollars and allowed me to immediately start courses for my major in my first semester of college.
4. Owned my first car
My sister's hand-me-down 2000 Chevy Cavalier that had already racked up 160,000 miles before I owned it was a dream come true, at least for the two summers she lasted. Although this car broke down everywhere (the McDonald's parking lot, the middle of an eight-lane road, in front of my hot neighbor's house, literally everywhere), it was impossible to not have some kind of pride in being able to provide my own transportation to work and control the radio stations myself.
5. Learned to drive stick shift
Okay, so I'm still learning. But I can at least do it in parking lots and neighborhoods.
6. Learned to do my own laundry
It amazes me that there are people who live on their own but still don't know how to do their own laundry. I would never have made it through private school with only one jumper if I didn't know how to do my laundry myself.
7. Went cliff jumping
The water was pretty shallow and there were snakes swimming nearby, but this was at the top of everyone's summer bucket list, so we did it anyway.
8. Worked a summer job
I spent the past four summers of my life practically living at my summer job as a lifeguard, but I wouldn't spend them any other way. I found a way to make cash every summer that also involved tanning, free popsicles and literally sitting in a chair for a living. Opportunities like that are hard to come by, and the friends I met there are impossible to replace.
9. Went on a road trip with friends
Maybe the two-and-a-half hour drive to Cedar Point doesn't count as a real road trip, but it was the first time I was allowed to go anywhere that far from home in a car with two teenage drivers. That trip was definitely worth risking our jobs to have five employees request the same day off from work.
10. Fell in love for the first time
For eight years I liked him from afar, for two years we were friends, and for the past six months we've been dating. Eight-year-old me did not know what was coming when I decided I had a crush on the dweeb who rode his bike to the pool with an inner tube around his waist.
11. Fell in love with my hometown
Ohio gets a bad rep for being primarily made up of cornfields and small towns. In my opinion, however, Columbus is the greatest city on earth. Our coffee shops are to die for, we're home to one of the best football teams in the country, it's beautiful downtown at night or around Christmas and there's no shortage of things to do. The more I'm away at college, the more I miss my hometown.
12. Fell in love with my college
I will constantly be one of those people who argues with OU students that Oxford is better than Athens. The campus is beautiful, the student body is close-knit while large in size, Uptown has the best restaurants in the world and Oxford was even named by Forbes as the number one college town in the United States. I've only been a student for a semester, but I've already fallen in love with my school.
13. Chose a college major based on interest, not future salary.
I changed my mind over and over again when it came to what I wanted to major in, from my freshman year of high school to the summer before college started. However, I am confident in the fact that I picked a major based on what I enjoy, not just what my future salary might be.
14. Had a random roommate
I was a little terrified when I got my roommate assignment this past summer and saw that my roommate was from a small town 10 hours away and had no social media accounts for me to stalk. However, there was no one better than my random roommate to make friends with last semester, get breakfast with daily, and get yelled at together by our RA.
15. Learned to get over a breakup
Boys suck, and sometimes they do stupid things like cheat on you with your best friend. If there's one thing I'm glad I've learned over the past 19 years, it's how to get over a boy who isn't worth worrying about anymore.
16. Learned to value my family members as more than just family
My sisters are my best friends, my dad is better at more than just wearing extremely short shorts from the 1980s, and my mom is a better friend to me than I give her credit for. I'm lucky to be able to consider my family members people I want to spend time with, not just people I have to spend time with.
17. Cared about something bigger than myself
Mr. Lennon was my cross country coach, mentor and friend. When he was killed in a sudden hit and run accident my sophomore year, I was devastated. It was a difficult year watching my fellow teammates, his family members and his coworkers struggle without him. During that year, I learned a lot about being there for others and I found a new reason to keep running.
18. Something outside my comfort zone
Kairos is difficult to explain to people who haven't experienced it or a similar retreat. However, this four-day retreat during my senior year of high school taught me vulnerability and acceptance better than anything else in my 18 years prior. It was definitely a step outside my comfort zone, but I would do anything to go back.
19. Learned to appreciate myself
My freckles make me look like I'm eight, I laugh at things that aren't funny, my voice is unnecessarily loud, my natural hair is incredibly frizzy, I get restless if I go more than three days without running and I'm not very good at being patient. All of these are things I used to dislike about myself. Now, they don't bother me very much. I think the most valuable thing I've done over the past nineteen years was learn to appreciate myself, freckles and all.
