2016: My Year of Realizing Stuff

We all know how 2016 went.

The election. The Kim K robbery. Cubs winning the World Series. Brangelina split. Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar win. Joe-Bama memes. A lot has happened this year and it seems no one knows how to feel about this year…except for one person.

Arguably the voice of a generation, Kylie Jenner called the year of 2016, “like, the year of just realizing stuff.” And she was totally right. Many of us have realized things throughout this crazy year. So, in honor of Kylie Jenner’s year of realizing stuff, I have made my own list of things I have realized throughout this year.

1. Being 21 is fun but also expensive. Sometimes half the reason I stay in is because I just don’t want to spend $6 to stand in a crowded bar swapping sweat with randos. It really is quite a feeling though to not have to worry about “where the fun is” because all you have to do is head to the bar (if you’re willing to spend the money).

2. Additionally, I’ve learned it’s ok to skip Nickel or the bar. I’ve been a proud homebody this year and I really don’t care what people think. Sometimes you’ve had a rough week and instead of getting all dolled up and passive aggressively ordering Ubers for each other, staying in is sometimes so much more enjoyable.

3. I’ve realized that senior year is hard.  Lots of people have hard major classes but there’s also the added stress of literally figuring out your entire life without anyone’s help. Like, who designed this system? Why did they think it was a good idea for 21 year olds to plan their life without assistance? Half of us can’t even decide what to put on a Blaze pizza and just panic and order something random. Are we really ready for the real world??

4. While on the subject of food, I’ve realized our generation loves food. It’s the “basic” thing to do to take pictures of it and post it everywhere, but hey, why not! Avocado toast is pretty and if you don’t want to see it, just keep scrolling. 

5. I’ve realized the real world is very scary and that’s why I am moving back in with my parents while I apply to grad programs after graduation. Pretty sure no one is excited about it but I’m not about to turn down my old bedroom and my mom asking me what I want for dinner when I’m on my way home from work. If I really wanted to channel Kylie Jenner I would move into a remodeled mansion but that really doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me. 

6. I’ve realized that college is hard on the body and if you managed to stay in shape then you deserve a medal. I, on the other hand, go through what my roommates and I like to call “stress bread” every three days. We just eat bread and olive oil and tell ourselves it’s the Mediterranean diet. But I’ve realized that it’s ok and sometimes you just need to eat some bread to make things feel better.

7. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that I will never look like Gigi Hadid or Kendall Jenner or any other Victoria’s Secret model and that’s cool. And while we should all love the body we are in because no matter what it’s awesome, it’s ok to have those moments where you just want to pout about how you look or how your life is going. Sometimes we just need to vent, and in a society where we are told how to think, feel, and look 24/7, it can be hard to tune all that out. What’s important is that you snap out of your funk and find a way to get what you want, because taking charge is the only way to make things happen for yourself.

8. If college teaches you one thing it’s that balance is key. Whether it be your bank balance, your work balance, or your balance after nickel, it’s important to understand what tips the scale. Even though ours (or at least mine) is almost always lopsided, I understand that it’s important to take some time to even things out, which might mean not ordering food during eat cheap week just for the sake of eat cheap week or maybe going to the library instead of thinking it’s easier to get things done in my apartment.

9. I had my first Wally’s Pud this year. Deep fried mashed potatoes should be everywhere. That is all.

10. Be kind to people. This year we have seen some real ugly comments on people’s beliefs, lifestyles, and just general existence.  We all have different opinions, which is the point of an opinion, but if we literally all just said something nice instead of tearing other people down, life would be way less stressful. People are going to do what they want and you can’t always stop them (another thing I’ve realized).  But if you’re nice, it can prevent a whole lot of unnecessary problems. So just be kind, it’s not that hard. If you can’t, just don’t say anything because even though your opinion is valid, tearing down someone else’s to make yours louder only adds to the noise.

So, in conclusion of my year of “realizing stuff”, I guess the main thing I learned is that it’s ok to not have my life figured out, Wally’s Puds are good, and being kind to people is really what matters. Maybe 2017 will be the year of doing instead of realizing. Maybe we will show up at the end of 2017 like Bella Hadid did at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show and strut past 2016 saying, “Yeah, I did stuff.”

Cover Image Source

• kylie jenner