So at this point, anyone who ever reads this blog probably thinks I've either met an unfortunate demise, or decided to completely just stop posting. However, believe it or not, none of the above apply. Unless you consider finals, ACT studying, and summer college program applications qualify as an unfortunate demise. Regardless, I've written about high school angsty stress way too much on this blog, so we're just going to consider that implied at this point, and move on.
Something I would like to talk about is an upcoming event that should be marked on each and every one of your calendars. In just four short days, it will be the day of birth of the incredibly talented and beautiful author of the well-known blog with at least 12 followers, I May Claim To Know. Yes, it's true, this upcoming Wednesday, I will be turning the crazy and wild age of seventeen. (P.S. all of the above was very sarcastic). Birthdays in general can mean something different to you depending on what age you're turning.
When you're as young as just a few years, each birthday feels like you're centuries older. The holiday means smashing your face into the birthday cake with your favorite Disney princess or Pokemon on top. As you get older, into the years 8-14, the day means it's all about you. Your birthday means everyone does as you say and does anything to make you happy. Then, in the years 15-18, it's all about the milestones. At 15, you get your permit and you're feeling like you're the coolest teenager alive. At sweet 16, you get your license and you feel as if you're unstoppable. You can wave goodbye to your parents as you're rolling down the driveway, feeling the first waves of true independence.
I'm turning 17, which at first, I wasn't too impressed with. What real life milestones are there when you reach this age? It's just smack dab in the middle of driving age and adulthood. However, when I thought about it, I came up with a few perks of the old age. First off, I will have had my license for a year, which means the inconvenient laws such as "Only one person outside of the driver's family is permitted in the car while they're driving" and 10 P.M. curfews, are lifted. Also, 17 means I can officially and legally see an R rated movie in theaters without being accompanied by an adult...or a friend who is over 17 to buy my ticket.
Other than these random tidbits of widened freedom, there are more subtle changes in who you are. At 17, it finally seems like you're grown up. This is the age at which you'll be filling out your college applications. The age in which every thought that consumes your head is "how should I be spending my time in order to look best to my college of choice". The future lying straight out in front of us, but 17 is the age in which we must begin choosing which paths to follow. It's a scary time; that's why as this birthday is slowly creeping upon me, I can't help but feel a twinge of sadness. My youth is slipping before my eyes, and I'm powerless to stop it. I will never be able to return to the carefree days of childhood. I cannot recapture the middle school days of being able to mess up and have it not feel like it's going to destroy my entire future. My teenage milestones are mostly past me.
I realize that in the grand scheme of life, I'm very young, and that should be something to treasure while it lasts. But I can't help thinking about this birthday and feel a bit of regret. Wishing I could have done it all over again, being truly young. That's why with this birthday, I'm going to do my best to live this year so that at my eighteenth birthday, I won't feel any regrets. Every decision I make, whether it's colleges, majors, activities, etc. Each and every one will be made in regard for what's best for me. That is my birthday resolution.
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