24 things I've learned in 24 years

I recently celebrated my 24th birthday, and with that came a lot of introspection - and panic about the direction my life is going. Growing up, I had always thought that I would be a real adult when I was 24. I would live on my own, have my own car and be starting a family of my own. I have none of those things. And honestly, I'm not even remotely close to having that for myself, thanks to a couple of years of misdirection and not knowing what path I wanted to go down. It's strange to compare my life now to my parents' when they were my age. When my mother was 24, she'd been married for nearly 4 years, had her first child and was getting ready for her second (me). It seems like they had it all figured out. I don't have anything even remotely figured out. 

On the bright side, I'm only a year away from having a valid quarter life crisis. That's mildly comforting. 

Anyway. Here are a couple of nuggets of wisdom I've collected in my 24 years walking this earth. 

1. People who want to be in your life will make the effort to be in it. But it's a two way street. You need to make the effort to be in their life too. 

2. There's never a wrong time to re-watch Gilmore Girls or the West Wing for the 100th time. 

3. A cute AND comfortable shoe is nearly impossible to find. When you find a pair that ticks all the boxes, buy multiple pairs. They're practically the holy grail.

4. Sometimes it's best to just mute your family members on Facebook. 

5. Your voice isn't always the most important in the room. You need to learn how to sit back and not talk over other people who have different experiences or ideas than you. 

6. A perk of being an adult is definitely being able to eat ice cream for breakfast if you want to, but you will soon learn that it's never a good idea to eat ice cream for breakfast. 

7. It is always a bad idea to take an hour long detour to eat at a fast food restaurant made popular by a bad movie. (I'm looking at you, White Castle) 

8. There are people in this world who will yell at people who work in food service because they don't want to wait in a line up or their order was wrong. Don't be that person. 

9. If you're lucky, you'll visit a place and feel like you're exactly where you belong. If you're even luckier, you'll find a way to live there. I'm still working on making that happen. 

10. Starbucks' chestnut praline latte feels like happiness and a warm hug in a cup. 

11. Be the mom friend. It's always a good thing to have kleenex and band aids and other in-case-of-emergency items in your bag. Sure, it'll make your bag heavy,  but you won't be sorry when your lips are chapped and you've got 3 emergency lip balms stashed away. 

12. It's important to learn how to make a proper apology. If you hurts someone's feelings, you don't get to explain it away with excuses. You say you're sorry and adjust your behaviour. 

13. Don't post every moment of your life on social media. It's nice to share things every once in awhile, but don't take yourself out of the moment to make sure you capture it for an Instagram or Snapchat. Plus, you'll be happy that thing you thought was super cool when you were 16 isn't there to embarrass you when you're 24. 

14. Carry your favourite tea bags in your bag at all times. You'll be thrilled if you're ever desperate for some tea and the only option you've got is Red Rose.  People might think you're weird, but it'll be worth it. 

15. You should always try to be the Leslie Knope of whatever you're doing. Doing your best is cool. 

16. Everyone will always have an opinion about you or the choices you make. Your opinion is the most important one. Make sure you keep that in mind. 

17. Be friends with the people who appreciate dumb jokes. 

18. Watching the dinner party episode of the Office is a great way to cheer yourself up after a bad day.

19. Love the things you love. Don't think about the things you don't like. No one wants to hear about how much you hate that popular tv show. Talk about the things that make you happy, don't worry about the things that don't. 

20. Don't engage in political debates on Facebook. It will never be successful and it's the equivalent of yelling at a wall, but yelling at a wall gives you less of a headache. 

21. Telling lighthearted by self deprecating jokes about yourself can help you get through a rough day. If that doesn't work, scream into a pillow when you get home and spend some time scream/singing Avril Lavigne. Either way, you'll get through it somehow. 

22. Having two cats and two dogs at one time is insanity. Cute, fluffy and loving insanity, but insanity all the same. Also, it's impossible to get things done when you have two 3 month old puppies around. 

23. Driving isn't as scary as it seems. Don't put off learning to drive for 8 years like I did. 

24. Saving money to travel is hard, but it is so so so worth it when you get to spend some time in new places.