It was not as good as carefree times at 19. USC. First taste of puppy love. My first apartment. An internship that introduced me to a lot of people that helped me get to where I am today. A taste of adulthood without the responsibility.
21 was a year sprinkled - no, soaked - with change. Living in Barcelona, returning to the states a single woman, graduating, getting hired by an awesome company, living in Portland, living in Portland with questionable roommates, moving to Atlanta...I could keep going.
But, here's what I learned throughout this year.
It's okay to not be okay.
Communication is key.
Ditch the passive aggressive act.
Some
Not everyone. Learn from how others hurt people and vow to never do it.
Stay in touch with friends.
Work hard, play harder.
Love you. Do you.
Others will inevitably let you down from your high expectations of them. Set those expectations for yourself, and exceed them.
Move it, move it.
Your pants are shrinking.
There's only so much you can do to get someone to give you what you deserve.
Realize the point where you have to realize they will never come around and forget about it.
Always be the bigger person.
Don't speak in anger, hurt or frustration. It won't solve anything.
It always pays off to be nice to everyone you meet.
Everyone.
Talk is cheap when you use your words negatively.
Tomorrow is another day and chance to be a better person.
Always work towards that.
Patience is a virtue that I do not possess.
Hurry and understand that!
The only person you can control is yourself.
Adulthood is hard and it sucks.
Adulthood is hard and it's awesome.
You'll never be able to please everyone.
And that's fine.
Saying "no" to things is a lot better than saying "yes" and doing something half-heartedly.
Moving to a new place is exhausting, a little lonely but extremely rewarding.
People on the internet are cruel and love to hide behind a computer screen.
Working in social media, I see a lot of things that make me lose faith in humanity.
So, 22, I welcome you with open arms. Please be good to me.
[Edit: this post should've been pubished in July 2014. So far 22 has been just as Taylor Swift meant it to be. More on that later ;)]
