*Cue the song Sweet Sixteen by Hilary Duff
On December 20th, 16 years ago, as of tomorrow, I was born. It honestly feels like yesterday when I was five years old thinking of the day when I would turn sixteen years old, and let me tell you I have never been more disappointed. I had expections of me being six feet tall, driving myself everywhere, and being a social butterfly. I am turning sixteen tomorrow and I am the total opposite of everything that I just described. I have vivid memories of myself complaining that I simply wanted to grow up. Fast foward up until now, and let me tell you I want to grow down. As a child, everything was so much easier and carefree. Every single day, the only thing that mattered was that I had my bowl of alphabet soup and that I watched an episode of Arthur. TIMES HAVE CHANGED. Nowadays, mental breakdowns are the norm thanks to deadlines and finals.Throughout my sixteen years of life, I have learned very important life lessons, which I will now share with you:
1. Time goes by fast
I seriously could have sworn that it was only two years ago where I had my 8th High School Musical 2 birthday party. Except it wasn't. That was EIGHT years ago. Sometimes I just need to pause and take things slowly and make the most out of every single moment.
2. As I grow older, so do those around me
A majority of the time, I am so caught off where I forget to realize that fact that we are all growing old. Sometimes it hurts thinking that one day my loved ones will not be with me, but that's life for you. We are brought into this world, we are expected to flourish and thrive, and then we leave.
3. I am BLESSED
I constantly am looking at the news and I always happen to see tragedies taking place throughout the world. It is times like these where I realize just how blessed I truly am! I have a roof over my head, the basic necessities, a family, friends, health, and so much more.
4. Times get tough, but they will get easier over time
Sometimes we are in a certain situation where things do not go as planned, and we begin to fret. But everything happens for a reason and things will get better and if they don't, then it is not the end.
5. I am okay just the way I am
If you read my last piece on self-love, then you already know that I have struggeled with my insecurities and the concept of self-love. But I am human and I am flawed and I like myself just the way I am and you should too.
6. I can achieve anything
I am constanly being told that my aspirations are unrealistic and that there is only a one-in-a-million chance and I am sick of it. You do not know if you do not try and who are you tell me that I am not that one-in-a-million?
7. Take Risks
If you personally know me, then you already know me as quite the scaredy cat. For example, when it comes to rollercoasters, I often chicken out and wait for my friends to get off the ride. But sometimes, I do it for the thrill of it. It is moments like these, where I realize that sometimes taking a risk can be a pretty good thing.
8. Recieving stuff feels much better when you earn it
Now I am not going to lie to you. My whole childhood, I constantly got what I want handed to me. But lately, my parents have made an effort to teach me the value of hard work. This has made me realize that when your truly work hard for something, you will appreciate it much more in the end.
9. Coffee is life and life is coffee
As I grow older and older, I realize how truly important coffee is to me. Yes this may sound a bit cold, but well, it's the truth. With finals and finals this week, coffee has been the only thing to keep me sane!
10. Take it Easy
Sometimes I am too hard on myself and I often forget that I am human. It is important that I give my all in everything I do, but not to the point where I have begin to have a mental breakdown.
11. There is nothing a good cup of tea can't fix
On the days where I am feeling quite down, I often tend to go for a cup of tea rather than coffee. This is due to the fact that it soothes rather than excites me. My favorites include green tea, lemon tea, and chamomile tea!
12. Feeling really down? Watch Breakfast at Tiffany's.
On those extremly gloomy days, or on the days where I have the mean reds to be exact ;), I know there is only thing, that can and will cheer me up: Breakfast at Tiffany's. If you have not seen this cult classic yet, then please exit this blog and watch it immediately, trust me you will not regret it.
13. Not everyone will want to be your friend, and that's okay.
Although I am a timid person, I am also quite friendly. My whole life I thought that everyone wanted to be each other's friend and that the world we live in was all sunshine and rainbows. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. It wasn't until last year where this life lesson hit me in the face and in the heart, to be honest. I had a friend, or so who I thought was my friend, would tell me that I was not allowed to eat lunch with her and her friends or would even ignore me when she was hanging around with the popular cheerleaders. Ok, I'm also going to be honest here, sometimes I still miss that person and the inside jokes I had with them. I am no longer in contact with this person, and maybe it is for the better, but I still wish them nothing but happiness and love :).And at the time, I thought it was perfectly fine even though it's not. Last year, at my old school, I hardly had any friends which led me to eating alone in the bathroom and feeling so worthless that I truly thought I was. In the end, your true friends will stick by you and that is all that really matters.
14. Do not apologize for being you
I am quirky, I am a misfit, I am different and that is okay and I simply will not apologize for being me!
15.Dream Big
I live in a small town, where there are only three main occupations: nurse, teacher, and engineer. For those who were curious, an occupation that I may be interested in pursuing is in the field of design or writing. I am constantly being put down and told to change my mind, but I simply will not. I have dreams and aspirations and I will do everything in my power to achieve those dreams and aspirations.
16. Enjoy life
I am always focusing on important things, but I often forget the most important, to LIVE my life and enjoy every single second of it with the people I love.
Thank you for reading and don't forget to subscribe! I love you! xoxoxo, Kylee