ten things i’ve learned in my twenties (so far) part 2

Stepping away from the topics of fall, Halloween, and all things spooky, I’ll instead be piggybacking off of Bridget’s post from yesterday about your roarin’ 20s. It’s a painful subject, personally, and I’m not even 30% finished.

Bridget and I have led relatively similar lives for these first 2 and a half-ish decades. Our older sisters went to school together and we went to pre-school together. After the dark times that were elementary, intermediate, and middle school, the sunshine came back into my life our freshman year of high school. I was still a frizzy, unkempt mess, but by age 13 I at least had a solid group of friends that I still hang out with to this day, whether they like it or not. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m fairly certain it is this group of people keeping me at least a little sane during this time in my life. I have friends from college, yes, but since I can’t afford to move from home it’s this original group of friends that I see more often (though, I’ll be seeing some from college this weekend. Stay tuned for a wine tour inspired post next week). As it turns out, Bridget’s house is a staple.

Ten things I’ve learned in my twenties (so far) from the comfort of Bridget’s couch:

Be patient. This is difficult, but we are humans, not cold brew coffee. Things won’t happen overnight.
Watch/read/retweet the news. I used to be okay with being ignorant. Sometimes the news is painful, depressing, or cringe-worthy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be in the know.
Step away from the TV. This goes for your other devices, as well. They are necessary evils at work and a pleasure at home, but don’t forget what a stroll outside is like.
Remind yourself that no one cares. I don’t mean this in a people-are-inconsiderate way, but rather that, okay, you forgot to put on mascara this morning. So, what?
But, care about others. In a world in which people are inconsiderate, please don’t be. If you see someone struggling to open a door because they have a package in one hand and a bag in the other, hold it for them, you sack of potatoes.
Use a turn signal.
Not everyone wants to be your friend. Trust me, I’ve had a lot of experience with this. But stalking a guy you hooked up with once at a party won’t make him love you; you’ll just cringe about it for the next 2 years.
Read. This is, like the news, something people seem to be proud about not doing. Exercise your brain, even if it’s 50 Shades of Grey.
Take care of your body. Moderation is key, people. Unless it’s McDonald’s. Stop eating that.
Act your age. It’s why I’ll be day-drinking from 9-5 on Saturday.

I’m fully aware that there are people that will read this and think, what does this 22 year old bitch know about life? Honestly, not much. But, hey, see: number 4. I don’t care what you think.