"It's the oldest story in the world. One day you're seventeen and planning for 'some day'. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, 'some day' is today, and then 'some day' is yesterday, and this is your life."
- "One Tree Hill"
The second you turned 20 you thought that you could just throw away your teenage years and all that came with it. You thought that now that you don't have to tell people that you're "something-teen years old" you can just start fresh and forget about all the good, bad, and the ugly, but the best part is...you can't forget about those things. You have to learn and be thankful for every positive and every negative experience that you've encountered.
One of the most crucial things that I've learned in my 20 years on this earth is that when you think everything is falling apart and when you think life truly could not get any worse, it could always be worse. Life's most important motto is "everything happens for a reason." I sincerely believe that everything does happen for a reason. No, you may never know the reason why and that is perfectly OK. Not knowing the reason why is more often than not, way easier. So don't sit there (like I used to do) and try to figure out what went wrong and where, just tell yourself that it was the best possible thing that could've happened.
Remember, not everything you lose is a loss. You are who you are and you are where you are right now because of the people who you walked away from and because of the people who walked away from you. So, say thank you to the people who did you wrong, because now you're ten times stronger than you were before.
Listening to the advice from someone who's been in your shoes before in any given situation is the best thing you can do for yourself. I personally tend to be extremely stubborn at times and choose not to listen to the people who already know the outcome due to the fact that they've lived through it before, aka my mom. But, almost every time, they end up being right (as much as you don't want to admit it).
With that being said, I will say this...You don't always have to listen to the people who tell you to get over it or to stop crying about it right away. If I've learned one thing, it's that it is OK not to be OK. It's OK to grieve and it's OK to have those days that you just need to cry for hours and to be left alone. Get up, get dressed and put a smile on on your own terms. Never let anybody else tell you when you're OK because only you know when you are.
One of the most important details that many tend to forget is that if you love someone, tell them. I know you probably hear a million times that "you should never forget to tell someone you love them because you never know when it will be the last time," and you better listen to those people who tell you that. You will never, ever know when it will be the last time or when it will be too late and that will stick with you forever.
The people that are currently in your life are in your life for a reason. Whether they play a significant or a small role, it doesn't matter. They are in your life because they are good for you, so keep them there and never take advantage of them. The worst is when you lose a good thing because you thought that they would be there for you forever. No one will be there for you forever unless you give them a reason to stay.
Every day is a new day with new experiences and new mistakes. In another 20 years, you'll look back and reflect on the last 40 years of your life and probably say the same exact thing. Happiness and positivity is definitely key to a perfect lifestyle, but balance between the days that you make great and the days that just aren't going your way is key to a healthy lifestyle. So remember, bad days aren't a sign of weakness. Bad days are just an indication that tomorrow will be better.
