I feel the years of 18-23 should be redefined as lost. Within the same calendar year we are asked to raise our hands for permission to pee we are asked what we want to do with our lives. What career paths we seek, who we want to be, what we wish to see. Most folks in education seem to forget that the dollar sign is not equivalent to happiness. It is shoved down our throats the way SAT prep is, that if we do not follow this cookie cutter path that we have failed. That we are “lost”. We gather this word “lost” into a negative light, when more often than not “lost” is a simpler term for curious, wandering, free. The only reason we think we are lost in the first place, is because we have been told to set a destination.

The time between 18 and 23 when we are lost behind the dark side of the moon, there are things we must always remember to never forget.

When your dreams seem smaller than others we should not let this make us stumble. Our dreams are not up for comparison they are not on the chopping block for judgement. they are ours, there is nothing wrong with pursuing them however which way we want. My father has patiently drilled into my mind that our own personal happiness should always be held higher than what society wants to see us do.

If someone tells you that you can’t that just about always means that you must.

It is okay to drink a black cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette alone when it feels like the stars won’t turn back on.

It is okay to work a minimum wage job if you like it. Don’t hide the fact that you like it.

Its okay to get tattoos and piercings if it makes you feel like you.

People will come in and out of your life as quickly as ocean waves and change as frequently as sunsets. Do not upset this process, merely understand they are most likely lost, just as you are.

If you want to paint, paint. Paint every wall you can find, every canvas, every piece of furniture you can find. Van Gough was never focused on who would rebel his passion.

Smile, enjoy your life, some people don’t always draw the best cards. Smile at every tree thats growing sideways, every blade of grass that broke through the sidewalk.

The beach is always a perfect place to clear your mind. Always be mindful during the process.

Never do without conscious intention.

Do yoga, run, hike, climb. Explore nature while exploring yourself. It helps.

Read and write anything, everything, all of it. Expand your vocabulary so you may better articulate yourself. Keep a journal so you can see how you have progressed. Introspection plays a large role in finding your true self.

Buy a fish, buy some plants. They are cleansing company.

If you want to go to college go, if you don’t like it leave. There is more to learn than what a lecture between four walls will project.

Search until you find what you love, and who you love. Don’t stop until you are truly happy.

Be nice to people, until they prove to be undeserving. Kindness is forever free.

And finally, remember that your mind bows to your heart. Always do what you feel is right.

There is no proper art form to figuring out this vague progression of age. Sometimes we really feel too bent to reshape. Sometimes our arms feel tired from reaching, our hands broken from trying to find the words.

When you are lost, let yourself be lost, let yourself become so lost that you may actually find yourself. That you touch so many lands and see from the top of so many mountains, that you have seen enough to properly define who you are, what you need, and what you want.