As I approach the end of my teenage years, I can't help but feel like my youth is closing in on me. I know, it's silly—at 19 years old, I still have my whole life ahead of me. However, after spending my entire life hearing and watching stories unfold that are based on teenage adventures and crazy love stories, it can feel like there is nothing more for me to experience.
So many of the epic modern love stories are about teenage lovers—Noah and Ally, Landon and Jamie, Elena and Damon, Simon and Bram, Blair and Chuck, etc. So many middle-aged adults sigh longingly when they think about high school and say, "Ah, those were the days." Several popular tropes revolve around the crazy fun that only college kids can get away with, like getting blacked out at a frat party and then showing up to your 8am in baggy sweats and left-over make-up or living on the same floor as all of your best friends and having every night feel like a middle-school sleepover with your roomie (if you're lucky enough to be friends with them!)
Don't get me wrong, I loved high school, and I even miss it sometimes. I love college WAY more, and I know I'm going to miss it like crazy when I'm gone. I'll never take these ridiculous late nights and early mornings for granted. It can be difficult to remember that there is so much more great times coming our way, though, when so much of the popular culture we digest is focused on Hollywood's warped idea of youthful opportunities. It definitely doesn't help that Hollywood often uses actors in their late 20's to play 18-year-olds, fueling the insecurities of teenagers across the world. There are more opportunities for fun and growth after you turn 21, I promise!!
For some of us, the idea of establishing our dream career may be what we think about when we gaze into the future. For others, maybe the dream is to have a big family and surround yourself with little bundles of joy. And sometimes, even the little things waiting ahead of us can feel like big things. In my 19 years of life, I have moved 16 times. I look forward to the day where I can buy a house and live in it until I grow old and grey and never have to move again. I look forward to the day I never have to worry about money. I can't wait to travel when the time allows me to. Of course, it's important to live in the present, but it's also important to look forward to the wild unknowns that lay ahead of us in our lives.
High school and college are full of exciting moments that help us change and grow as people, and I am so glad that we are all enjoying our youth to its fullest. But it's important to remember that growing out of our teenage years isn't a death sentence—it's a new beginning. We are not even halfway to the end of our long, crazy-filled lives and there is no reason for us to feel like we are. Take time to be grateful for the moments you're in now and look forward to the moments that are waiting to be experienced in your future.
