On Turning 21

Tomorrow it will be my 21st birthday. I will have lived on this earth for twenty-one entire years. This blows my mind. It feels like just yesterday I was seventeen and worrying about college and what I wanted to do with my life, and stressing about silly things.  And the day before that I was twelve and terribly awkward. And before that six and playing hide and seek in the backyard, and tossing snowballs, and catching fireflies.  And yet here I am, turning twenty-one years old, a junior in college...and pretty much still doing all of the above mentioned things. But where did all that time go? Everything feels so far away and so close at the same time. And that's life I guess. I've had so much life packed into these past twenty years and so much more to be done. It's a scary feeling, but a good feeling.

I've grown a lot in the past twenty years and through growing I've also learned. That's what they say isn't it? You live and you learn. I still have a lot to learn, but here are some of the things that the past twenty years have taught me.

That it's okay to be a little awkward. It's okay to be weird. Everyone's a little weird. Embrace your weirdness.

Let the people you love know that you love them. As much as you can. Every day.

Read. Write. Whenever you can, as much as possible. Always carry a book, a notebook, and a pen with you.

There may actually be such a thing as too much cheese. I know it sounds crazy, but now that you're in your twenties (and possibly have a lactose problem you never knew about) your stomach can only take so much cheesy goodness. Pace yourself with the cheese..*whispers* I still love you cheese. I'll never leave you. I'll just have you in smaller portions.

Olive Garden bread sticks are always a good idea. Always.

Sometimes boys can be really stupid. And sometimes they can be really sweet. Don't let the stupid ones ruin things for you. Nice guys don't always finish last. Give them a chance.

Laugh. Just laugh. All the time and as much as you can. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh, I mean really laugh, until you cry even.

True friends will never leave you. No matter how far away they may seem, they'll always find their way back to you, and you to them. If they want to be in your life, they'll make an effort to be there. But you have to make the effort too. It goes both ways.

Just because someone shows love differently than you, doesn't mean they don't love you as much as they can.

French Vanilla coffee creamer tastes just as delicious in tea as it does in coffee. And the same goes for Pumpkin Spice.

Saying you're sorry, or that you were wrong, doesn't make you look weak, it makes you look strong. Try saying both a little more often when you know you should.

No matter how weird and crazy your family is, they're yours and they love you. Let them know you love them too. They're the only family you've got. Appreciate them.

Hugs aren't as awful as you once thought, at least when given by the right people. 

The kitchen is for dancing. And baking. But mostly dancing.

You can't care so much about what other people think. I know it sounds hard, but they're way more worried about how they seem and look, then how you do. Trust me.

It's all about the little things, the details. Remember the little moments. Capture them.

Road trips with the cousins are some of the very best kinds of road trips. Take more in the future. Take more family road trips. Take more friend road trips too. Just drive.

Being an introvert is more than okay. Embrace it. Know your strengths. There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay in on a Friday night and just read a book. Just try not to stay in every Friday night. Interacting with other human beings doesn't have to be hard. Just try it sometimes. It's good for you.

If you're in a car and a great song comes on, you should be singing. Who cares what the person in the car next to you thinks. Sing at the top of your lungs. The right song can do wonders for the heart, and it makes the drive go by faster.

Getting the ends of your hair dyed blue was a great idea. No sarcasm here. It really was a great idea. Ride that blue wave of confidence as long as you can, girl. 

Things change, even when you don't want them to. Learn this. Know this. Take the time to adjust, but don't take too long. 

Your sisters aren't quite as different from you as you thought. Remember this in the future when they make you angry or frustrated. Forgive them quickly. You all need each other.

Smile at people you pass by, it could make their day just a little better. And yours too.

When you have something you want to say, say it. Don't hesitate and hold it in because you're afraid people will think it's silly or disagree. Sometimes they'll agree with you and sometimes they won't, and that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, even if sometimes you think their opinions are wrong.

It's okay to get sad. Work through it. Try to understand it. And it's okay to get mad. It's okay to vent your frustration. But then you need to let it go. Don't hold grudges.

Ghost in the Graveyard will always be fun inside your head, but every time you try to get a game together it's never as great as it was when you were kids. Play it anyway, whenever you can.

Using only uppercut moves while playing Mortal Kombat will make people angry, but it almost never fails. Uppercut till your thumbs hurt.

Dogs and yoga pants are a girl's best friends.

Do what makes you happy, regardless of what other people think, or what society says you should do. Just do whatever fills you up inside, whatever makes your soul feel whole. The rest will follow.

When I was younger I used to count down the days till my birthday the same way I'd count down the days till Christmas. It was always so exciting, one special day just for me. And it wasn't even so much about presents as it was about the experiences I'd have on the day and the fact that everyone was wishing me a Happy Birthday. I was one year older, one year closer to whatever it was I thought I was aiming for. Now that I've gotten older I don't count the days like I used to, but I still have a habit of letting my expectations of the day get a little too high. I get this idea in my mind of how the day is supposed to be and when it doesn't turn out how I think it will I get disappointed. And that's silly, because in reality it's just a day, just one among many, even if I am a year older. So this year I'm just going to let whatever happens happen, and I'm going to try and keep all thoughts of how things are supposed to be out of my mind, and just let the day be whatever it wants to be. So hey there 21, you've been a long time coming. I'm not sure I'm totally ready for you, but I'm keeping an open mind. Let's do this.

Love & Chaos,
An (only slightly) older, and hopefully wiser, Sam