I turned nineteen on March 1, and since this is my last year of my teens, here’s what I have learned. It has been a rollercoaster with so many twists and turns that I lost count. These 19 things will range between family, friends, school, and random things I have picked up.
Turns out my mom is my best friend: When I was in my younger teens, I dreamed of growing up and being able to do things on my own or with my best friends. Now that I actually can, I miss the times that I went grocery shopping with my mom or played video games with her. I always look forward to those times I go home.
Your best friend now may not be your best friend in a year: There was one year I lost a whole friend group and it was like a nasty break up. I had known them since middle school. I’m sure middle school me wouldn’t have ever thought we would end up not speaking.
I learned when to shut up: well, for the most part, and when it matters, at least. Knowing when it is time to talk and time to listen to others was a big skill during my high school years.
Don’t date your coworker: Now this may seem like a good idea at the time, but boy oh boy, it is not. I went on one date with a coworker of mine and our friendship has not been the same. It could be because I wouldn’t go out with him again after that, but either way, is a bad idea.
Sneaking out of a hotel room when you’re seven isn’t the best idea: When I was seven, I snuck out of my aunt’s hotel room with my brother and was going to go see my parents on a different floor. Let’s just say we didn’t make it very far, thanks to my brother, who was crying because he didn’t want to leave. Now looking back on it, probably a good thing that he cried and made me stay with him.
Pineapple juice really isn’t that good: This is one I just learned recently. Maybe it’s just me, but I have to say the smell is what really got me. I don’t know what I thought it would smell like. I know it has a bunch of health benefits, but I just couldn’t get over the smell.
Life is surprising: One time life really took me by surprise was when I was made valedictorian of my high school. I had good grades, but I never thought that I would be valedictorian. This still surprises me to this day.
Grocery shopping for one is hard: I just moved away to college and had to buy snacks for myself, but I had no clue how much I ate. I lived with a teenage brother for most of my life and now I’m on my own. Food doesn’t disappear as fast as I would like it to.
Save at least some birthday or special cards: My Nana recently told me this one. I never knew what to do with the cards she would send, so most would end up in the trash after I had them up for a week. She said to just keep one to hold onto – you may want it years in the future.
Hair grows: When I was younger, I was so picky about how much they would take off when cutting my hair. Then in middle school, I cut it short to a bob. I would grow it out then cut it short again. The process just kept going. After a while, I stopped caring how short they cut my hair. In the end, hair grows and it all turns out okay.
It’s okay to not go out every weekend in college: Not going to lie, the first semester I went out more than I do now. Eventually it got to a point where I would rather lay in bed all day then party late at night. I did feel guilty for a little bit not going out. In the end, it’s my college experience and I get to choose how to spend it.
Stay in touch with friends from high school: I have three really close friends that are all back in Connecticut. Having a group chat helps so much for random things going on in college life. The occasional FaceTime call cures most of the homesickness.
Expectations change from middle school to high school and high school to college: What you think is going to happen, and want to happen, ends up changing once you’re there for a little bit. I know it did for me.
Anything before 9 a.m. probably won’t happen: In high school I used to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, go to school, then work then back home I was all over the place. Now being in college I had one class at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and it was so hard to get out of bed.
Buy picture frames: I realized before going to college that I didn’t have a lot of picture frames or up-to-date pictures of my friends and family. I had to go buy picture frames, which is a random thing I wish I had done sooner.
Eventually, I stopped wanting to grow up: For a while, I couldn’t wait to turn 19 because I could go do this or I could now buy this. After graduating high school, the next big party or celebration is my wedding – which is so crazy. Also, having bills sucks so I can honestly say I miss the playground.
There is so much more than a bad grade: This semester has been rough, as I just lost motivation and care. Not a great combination. There have been a few bad grades last semester and somehow it all turned out okay. A bad grade isn’t the end of the world, and I usually do better than I think I did.
Stress is inevitable: I have been stressed way too much over the last couple of years. Dealing with that has been very challenging. Nine times out of 10 I’m worrying about nothing and it’s all going to work out. Dealing with the stress is for sure something I’m still working on.
I still have no idea what the heck I’m doing: I’m only 19. I still have so much more to learn and I have grown a lot over these past years. There are times I haven’t a clue in the world if it’s all gonna work out. I only hope it does.
These 19 things I have learned in 19 years have some of ups and downs and other random stuff. I still have a long way to go, but this seems like a good start.