I'm finally at an age where I have to wear a night moisturizer, an age I regularly refer to as incredibly young, but am starting to reconsider that notion.

A few years ago I would have thought that 24 was ancient, beyond the age of adulthood where the expectation is that I have my life meticulously pieced together in a way just out of college me would envy — something that is definitely not the case considering that my best version of cooking anything is when I don't over boil my ramen noodles.

A lot of major moments in my life could be described as blink-and-you'll-miss-it. The kind of moments that create a small teary glaze in my eyes at the thought that they're over. Instead, I've learned to hold onto the laughs of those around me or the smells of the places I've been, so that on my worst nights I can think about that time I made someone crack up really hard over the joke I made. A genuine chuckle echoing in my ears before they turned to me and said, "I'm stealing that one."

I heard once that the things that happen in high school really don't matter — the drama that is — and that we'll all look back and scoff at the time we cried about our boy of interest not liking us back. Fairly accurate.

In the current days of expectations and "adult problems," I yearn for a time when my biggest stressor was who I was sharing a limo with for prom instead of how many hours I need to work to cover my bills and still set aside a small amount for my school loans, gaining more interest than I make in a week.

I wish I could take 16-year-old me out for smoothies (because I had yet to discover the beauty of coffee) and tell her what to expect eight-years later. Maybe so she could change a few things. Maybe so she could prepare a little more. Or maybe so she could decide to charge into the unknown instead of waiting for life to just shift around her, the mystery of it prodding her until she moves.

Teenagers have no clue what it's like once you stop being 18 and people don't think it's cute that you have no idea what you want to do with your life anymore. Being an adult is more than just taxes and a mortgage, and I think everyone should learn that early on.

So past me, if you're reading this, please take note.

I want you to know first and foremost that independence is sexy. Please, don't be that person that goes along with what others are doing just so you'll be liked, and that goes for dating boys, too. You're a firecracker, and don't let anyone try and tame that. I mean it. Be at level 10 even when everyone else is at a 6 because you'll regret stifling your fun because you didn't want people to dislike you. Years later you'll call yourself high octane, fueled by passion and spontaneity, something you'll be complimented on the most.

Secondly, do well in school. Please don't roll your eyes. I mean it. Do freaking well in school and just stick with journalism from the start. Don't dance through three other majors just to wind up back at square one, having wasted time and money thinking you wanted to work in the medical field. Yes, you got to dissect a person. Yes, you cultured deadly bacteria, but now you've been waiting tables for years instead of following a political beat like you wanted to. So instead of binge watching "Grey's Anatomy" in the library, maybe don't procrastinate your essays until a few hours before they're due and then one day you will thank yourself dearly that you're not still asking people how they want their burgers cooked.

Third, people are mean. I'm telling you now so that when you inevitably face that harsh reality, you'll at least be moderately prepared for the first time someone makes hateful comments about your appearance or undercuts your intelligence. You will be bullied. It's going to happen. I only wish I could hold you while you cry heavy tears about the hatefulness of the people talking so poorly of you. The sting doesn't go away, but the ability to ignore it really grows. So yes, the first time it happens be sad, but instead of learning to overcome it, just be ready to be great at rolling your eyes at it. If anything you learn in high school, it's that people love to gossip, and that never truly stops even as an adult. So be aware of the darkness around you, but don't be consumed by it, you morbid little soul, you.

Lastly — and arguably most importantly — don't let anyone dictate your happiness. It sounds similar to my first point, but hear me out. You will be told how to feel. You will be told what is going to lead you on the path to joy. Ignore all of it (OK not all of it), and seek what you know is good for your heart. Sometimes life hands you the most difficult of situations and you'll wonder how you'll ever be better from them. I want to say you always will, but that's not true. What is true though is that you have control of how you choose to handle them. Don't coil up. Expand beyond your capacity to feel alright and choose what you know will make you feel good. You deserve that. You deserve happiness because you're about to face years of heartbreak in many forms.

There's no way to really prepare you for that other than to surround yourself with people who won't judge you and who support you regardless of the sadness in your soul. Love them dearly and tell them so often. Choose to agree with someone when they tell you that you're charming. Allow yourself the bliss of going somewhere you want and not feeling like you need to explain why. Eat the way you want to. Take up a hobby and quit when you're not interested anymore. Follow your gut instinct. Pretend that clouds have feelings and insist on sharing their self-made personalities with everyone around you. Be happy. Do what makes you happy. And don't let anyone take that away from you ever.