My 22nd birthday honestly feels like it happened centuries ago, and I don’t feel close in any way to the person I was at this time last year. But that’s what we call growth, honey. Here’s my annual reflective post of yet another year that I have managed to survive.
- Getting over trauma doesn’t mean all evidence of it happening is erased: A lot of bad stuff happened last year, and I did a lot of work to recover from it. But for the longest time I thought I wasn’t “okay” because I could feel how I had changed. It took me a while to realize that there was no way I was going to be the same person, but that’s okay, and that doesn’t mean I’m not healed.
- Oysters are so delicious and I can’t believe it took me 22 years to try them.
- Loneliness is not a reason to be with others, it’s really a call inwards: I know everyone says this, but even if you’re the extrovert to end all extroverts, get comfy and learn to enjoy being alone. Many times being lonely is really just a sign you’re not dealing with something inside.
- Tidying up your room every night before you go to bed is a revolutionary habit to make. Try it.
- Consent is so much more than just a yes or a no, it’s an active, enthusiastic choice and I wish more people knew and practiced that.
- There are no perfect political candidates (until someone gets me that forged birth certificate and I can run for President).
- It really do be like that sometimes.
- If two famous writers lived during the same time period and were in the same place at one point – they probably hooked up tbh. (Ex: Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde).
- ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT. Be it a raise, a relationship, space, understanding, forgiveness. People cannot guess your desires. This is something I’m still working on because I think my intentions are really obvious to people when really I’m just constantly wrapped up in a veil of mystery.
- I need to stop manically getting a haircut (or doing it myself) and calling it “spontaneous.”
- I lowkey believe in astrology and I’m not ashamed of it. God, I’m such a Taurus. And on that note – anything that doesn’t hurt anyone and helps people understand themselves or the world around them (different religions, philosophies, astral projecting, etc) isn’t something you should mock.
- Always think that people expect a lot from you – then meet those expectations.
- Replacing butter with tahini in a chocolate chip cookie recipe is a genius move. Everyone should try it.
- At some point I will probably have to tell my parents about my love life, but I’m going to hold off on that for as long as it is feasible.
- Bad mental health has taken a lot away from me. But thinking about what I’ve lost isn’t going to help me.
- Mr. Big from Sex and the City *is* hot you just have to be a certain level of maturity to see it.
- There is such a thing as being too polite.
- I FINALLY understand what it means to nurture your inner child/parent yourself. For me this means lots of fantasy novels which bring me levels of joy not seen since maybe 2010 and telling myself that “we have food at home.”
- Finally ready to admit this controversial opinion: Theme/Amusement parks suck after the age of 12 (including Disney). Also, Disney as an entity isn’t that great. Sorry.
- Making friends as an adult is as hard as everyone says it is. But it’s not impossible, and if anything it’s an opportunity to build a friend group based on nurturing, healthy relationships and common interests rather than convenience and proximity.
- At least 40% of my dating problems would probably be solved if I just ruled out white men as a group, but what can I say, I still haven’t completely gotten rid of those self destructive tendencies.
- I recently told my mom about the anxiety I get every year as my birthday rolls around. She just laughed and said that I remind her of my father. So happy to know my annual existential crises will continue into my 50s. Can’t wait.