eighteen years

This is a post for the year I turn eighteen, this is a post looking back on what I have learnt over the past eighteen years.

One - Fall in love, fall deeply and messily in love. feel what you feel and relish in it. Don’t regret falling even when things turn sour with the person. There was a reason you loved them when you did.

Two - Cherish your friendships, although it is unlikely that at 26 all of these people are going to be in your life still having them there now is important. Make memories and live. 

Three - Time heals all. Months from now you won't even be able to remember the name of the person who called you a bitch or broke your heart. Give everything time, it really does get better.

Four - Sitting and watching sunsets is the most calming thing. Sit on your roof and watch the sky turn from blue to pink to orange and yellow and back to blue but this time deeper. Sit with your friends at the beach and laugh and drink as the sun goes down. Drive to places you know the sun will be pretty at and sit and watch. 

Five - Writing and poems fix a broken heart more than anything else. Pour your heart out, make it raw and real. Don't care what other people say about your work. It is yours; not theirs.

Six - Stop regretting things. There’s a reason that everything happens but I can assure you that reason is not for regret.

Seven - Gigs are incredible. Everyone is there for a different reason, but at the same time they are there for the same reason. Go to as many as possible. Mosh. Dance. Cry. Sing your heart out. 

Eight - You can never take too many photos. Sunsets deserve to be captured. As do your friends when they are looking pretty. So does everything else in this world. Find the beauty in it and capture it.

Nine- The city is where I am meant to be. The energy that I get as I pull into central London on the train is unlike anything else. The city is my home. It's only a year and a bit until I move there, a year and a bit until I’m home for good.

Ten - As important as education is, don't forget to live. If things don't go the way you planned there is always, always a different path you can take. Do your best, that is all anyone can ever ask of you.

Eleven - Stop living in the past and future. Live for now. Stop worrying about what you said a week ago and think about what you're doing now.

Twelve - You can never own too many sweaters.

Thirteen - Sometimes you find yourself drifting away from the people you thought would always have a role in your life, stop trying to cling onto them. Just let the universe work its magic. If things are meant to be then they are meant to be.

Fourteen - Do the thing that's scaring you, do the stupid thing. Make memories that you can look back on and laugh your heart out over with people. Live. 

Fifteen - Don't pretend to be something you're not for the sake of having people care about you enough to feel relevant. Be you, stay true to what you believe in. Never kiss a tory boy again.

Sixteen - Differently to what else I have mentioned in this post it is also important to stop looking at everything as a sign, not everything has some big bold meaning behind it sometimes things just happen. Remember that too.

Seventeen - The true determination of friendship isn't about how much time you spend together but how you spend your time together.

Eighteen - Nothing beats driving around screaming along to the songs you love with your best friends.