18 Lessons From Age 18

Today, I say goodbye to 18 and hello to 19. In honor of my birthday, I thought I’d share a post as I did last year with some of the lessons I learned over the course of being 18.

If you’d like to read my post on 17 Lessons from Age 17, click here.

This year was quite the adventure, but its time for a new one. Looking back, these are some of the lessons I learned while I was 18.

18 Lessons from Age 18:

1. Don’t feel the need to work on a friendship because of what it used to be. If it’s not what it used to be, don’t force it. It’s okay.
2. The right place for you isn’t the right place for everyone, and some people will need to leave to find their right place. That doesn’t change the impact they had on you, and that doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of your life anymore, or that they’re leaving you. They’re leaving a place.
3. Sometimes you should say yes to adventure. You never know what will happen.
4. There are people who do horrible things, and then there are people who do horrible things who you have to see from time to time. Telling friends about those things makes it easier to see those people.
5. People who make you feel like you’re never alone are people are people to be infinitely grateful for. Or at least, I am infinitely grateful for them.
6. Sometimes you sacrifice academics for having friends. But friends are important.
7. There are people who will purposefully try to make your life harder. They will not be in your life forever. Grin and bear it until it’s over.
8. If you see someone you want to be friends with, go befriend them. Everyone can use another friend.
9. Be honest when honesty is called for. An uncomfortable conversation can save future pain.
10. There are airports that exist where you can get from the parking lot to your departure gate in well under an hour. Who knew?
11. Wearing glasses and lengthening mascara is a bad idea, and a rather unpleasant experience. The two don’t really mix well.
12. I can publish 5 blog posts in one week! Woo hoo!
13. Consistent wake up times are life changing.
14. Take care of your people. If your people don’t want you to be there for them, perhaps they aren’t your people after all.
15. No one gets RAs like RAs. They told us this in Resident Assistant training, but it finally clicked last week. It’s totally a thing.
16. Only you know how hard you’re working sometimes, don’t let others belittle the effort it takes a chronically ill body to get out of bed and show up sometimes.
17. Allies are important and wonderful people. When someone is genuine in their wish to take up your cause, work with them.
18. It’s not actually that difficult to make pasta sauce from scratch.

And there you have it. 18 Lessons I’ve learned in the past year of being 18. I’m not going to lie, I’m sad to see 18 go. It is my favorite number after all! But onwards and upwards. There isn’t much choice, I can’t stay 18 forever!

Here’s to making 19 a great year.