A few days ago, I turned 19 years old. 19 trips around the sun, 19 Maryland summers, and 19 years of half-baked words of wisdom. Here are some of the things I learned, some may call it wisdom.
1. My mom means well.
My mom has said 'no' a lot over the last 19 years and usually I didn't like it. No you can't get another ear piercing, no you can't sleep over, no you can't cut up another pair of perfectly good pants, no you can't go downtown alone. While I haven't completely loved every single thing my mother has done but, if 19 years has taught me anything, it's that every decision my mom made, she made with my well being in mind.
2. Things will change.
With every passing moment things are changing. Relationships, every single one of them, will wax and wane. People will be born, people will die and TV favorites go off the air. It's important to appreciate everything as it happens because the one thing that everything on earth has in common is that one day it will be gone.
3. Not everyone is my friend.
I used to live under the false notion
that all the people I talked to were my friends. This isn't true.
Being friendly isn't the sole criteria of friendship. Not everyone
has my back, not everyone has my best interests in mind and not
everyone likes me. That's okay. To find someone who likes you, looks
out for you and does this without cash payment is a beautiful and
rare thing.
4. Growing up is about finding what I love.
Getting older, finding yourself, searching for your calling – whatever you want to call it – is all about one thing; slowly learning what pleases you. What people make you smile, what food makes you fart, what songs make you cry and which clothes make you feel most like you. We all live each day in order to become more and more ourselves.
5. Don't be the best, do your best.
It isn't important that I am better than everyone else. It's important I make myself proud. My outfit might not have been on that models level, but all the colors matched and that's worthy of rejoicing. There is pride in being better than everyone else, but there's also pride in being better than you were yesterday.
6. I won't always be happy.
Like number 2 said, things change. Moments change. Not all of them are happy ones. Some of them are sad, some are angry, some are confusing and heartbreaking. Nothing lasts forever. That's the beauty though. Even when your upset, there's comfort to be found in the thought that nothing lasts forever. Smiles may fade, but that means tears can dry, too.
7. I should live for myself.
Don't live to make others happy, proud or angry; live for you. My Grandpa told me that on my 18 th birthday and I've found this to be unequivocally true. I do what feels good and try not to hurt others in the process. Ultimately, when I die, I'll do it on my own. My regrets will be my own, my wasted dreams, my unrecognized hopes will be my own, as well.
8. Compliment strangers.
There is nothing to be lost in complimenting a stranger. Whether you like their outfit or their eyebrows, genuine compliments are generally welcome. Making someone smile and feel like they're awesome is commendable. Of course, this is NOT the same as catcalling. Don't do that.
9. Humans are animals, too.
Sometimes I just have to stop and look at us. I take in our gangly arms and obtuse bodies. Our strange ways, our weirdly shaped heads, our funny customs. We're strange and beautiful. We do stupid, silly things, but sometimes we're capable of so much beauty and brilliance it breaks my heart. Like birds and lions we're majestic and also savage; capable of both insurmountable greatness and incredible amounts of savagery and ignorance.
10. Work smarter, not harder.
In my humble 19-year-old opinion, if you can ever put in less effort with a more concentrated goal, your golden. Which is exactly why I split this article in half. Stay tuned for the next week's article and the other 10 things on this wonderful planet.
