So I decided that I was going to take a look back on the last year. Turning 24 yesterday, I was in a world where I did not want to be 24 at all. I even wanted to skip ahead to 25 and just catch up next year, but here I am.. 24 years old now. So I wanted to look back at 23 and find some things that I learned this past year. So let's see how many I can come up with!
1. Family is everything. I rely a lot on my family to help me with things. Honestly, most days, I am completely useless. I don't know how to do things, so I run to my family, more specifically my parents. I don't know what I would do without them. They are always there to help me when I need them.
2. College is a waste. Of course, it is not a waste if you know what you want to do with the rest of your life. But honestly, everyone doesn't know what they want to do with the rest of their live, I am one of those people. And unfortunately, I rushed into a major without thinking about what I wanted to do, and am now stuck with a degree that is basically useless.
3. Sometimes it's better to put into the karma bank rather than take out. This year I have tried to be more selfless than years past. If someone needed money and needed a shift, I was sure to give it to them. This year has been a struggle for a few of my coworkers and I made sure that they had shifts to be able to pay their bills.
4. The government is a bunch of fucks. As my college loans come due and as I lose my insurance, I realize that maybe those people at the White House don't really know what they are doing to those who aren't in the upper class. I am trying to pay back 400 a month on my loans with a job that pays 2.83 an hour and I have to rely on others to tip me. How ridiculous is that?! And on top of that, because I have that job, I also lose my insurance and could be fined for not having insurance. Who are you to tell me what to do with my life?!
5. There will always be hate. There have been so many killings lately that it is crazy to even think about. Blacks shooting white cops. Whites attacking black civilians. Vice versa. I don't understand it, and I don't get why come cops take it to the extreme, but I also do NOT not NOT understand why people just don't do what the cops say? How do they know what you are hiding if you don't listen to what they are telling you to do. So of course they are going to take matters into their own hands. Just stop being a douche and listen to the cops.
6. Sometimes your best friends are people you work with. I have grown so close to the people that I work with. We have experienced loss and life, failures and triumphs, and it has made us all closer to one another. I would give my left arm for anyone who needed it at work. We are a family, now and forever. Even if someone decided to take their career somewhere else, we will always be a family.
7. If something doesn't go your way, make the best of the situation. Upon graduating, I started to apply for job after job. So far no luck. I did have on interview, and thankfully-yes thankfully-I did not get the job. I am thankful for my job that I have. I love my coworkers, and I love working with the public. I possibly could make more money at my job that I have now, than at the job I had an interview for. And it has opened my eyes to what I want to do with the rest of my life and what direction I need to go in.
8. Growing families are the best families. This year my family grew by THREE! Yes, three! And all from adoption. While I was not as involved in the one adoption, I was more involved in the other adoption of two beautiful girls. I didn't know that the love that comes from two babies just over a year old could be something so beautiful! I love just watching them grow up, and I think that is one of the better things about growing up; you get to witness and remember things about their lives.
9. Just because he seems like a dream, doesn't mean that he is. Of course, I am single for another year and tried the dating scene. Much to no avail. I did, however, meet a guy that seemed perfect in every way. He was everything that I was looking for. He was close to his parents. He worked out. He liked to cook. He complimented me. He enjoyed my company... All too good to be true? That's because it was. While he was dating me, he was also dating someone else. I was heart broken. I couldn't help but wonder why me again. What was wrong with me? And the answer to that question? Nothing. It was his own demons that made him the way he was.
10. When you surround yourself with toxic people, your life will also be toxic. Recently, I have realized that some people in my life aren't good for me. They are downers, when everyone needs just uppers in their lives. If you surround yourself with people who do nothing but tear you and others down, then you have no one to blame for your bad moods but yourself. You are the only one in control of your life and how others treat you.
11. Sometimes you had to do things you don't want to. I had to make a call that I never want to make again. Sometimes, the guilt gets the best of you after doing something you know you should do, but don't want to. But don't let it bother you. More than likely, you did the right thing. And honestly, if I had to live that day all over again, I would do the same exact thing. While I felt guilty at first, it is better to feel guilty for a few minutes than live a life of regret.
12. Volunteering is better than it sounds. This year I got to be involved in Relay for Life and it was honestly the best experience of my life. We started the fundraising process many many months behind, but we still raised more than we had ever expected to! Of course, it also puts your life in perspective that this is something that is very real and affects a TON of people. Fighting for a cure is something that everyone needs to do at least once in their life.
13. Sometimes the best thing to do is just sit at home and watch Netflix. I just got done binge watching Dexter, and honestly, it was the best thing ever. If I didn't have plans, I could come home and just watch Dexter. Sometimes, all you need is a little down time to just do nothing in a day, and Netflix is the perfect way to spend a lazy day. Taking time to yourself is important!
I made it to the lucky 13! I am sure there are more things that I could think up if I wanted to, but I am going to leave this list where I have it. All of these things I learned while being 23 are extremely important, and I can't wait to see what being 24 brings to me!
