cheers to teenage years.

Just last week, my friends and I finally graduated from high school. We smiled, we laughed, and of course; cried. Finishing high school is a huge part of our lives, and it is strange to think that we are old enough to start moving out on our own and deciding what to do with our futures. The feeling of having to say goodbye to the "best years of our lives" is bittersweet, but from my point of view, it isn't really a true goodbye unless we make it one. Why? Because the "best years of our lives" are not defined by being enrolled in high school. The best years are defined by the memories we make, the times when we don't listen to our parents, the friendships we lose and create, the knowledge we gain, and who we strive to become. In other words, the best years are the years that define us the most.

So... this is a tribute to our teenage years; the best years of our lives. Being a teenager is hard. Harder than some people can imagine, and harder than some people can remember; however, being a teenager also means being a fighter through the hard times. Teenage years are the years we couldn't forget even if we wanted to. The years where we don't have any regrets because we give it everything we've got. Because for us, it's always been all or nothing. The moments seemed to last forever, but when we look back, they went by so fast.

Being a teenager is thinking I'm so in love, and getting our hearts broken; but bouncing back from the disappointments and being stronger than we were before. It's talking on the phone for hours with our best friends, being guilty when we're innocent, and standing out while striving to fit in. It's when we have a million questions that might not be answered. All the while, being a teenager is something that can't really be described except by those that are living it at the time. Everyone has their group of friends, their group of "enemies," but in the end, as teenagers we will always stand together. 

Being a teenager is when we feel everything at once. When we're "in love," we're really in love. When we "hate" someone, we despise them. When we're "lonely," we're miserable. Teenage years are when we go with the flow, and laugh more than we cry. When we burst out of our comfort zones and dare to face the things that scare us. It's the best and worst years of our lives.

Most importantly, being a teenager isn't anything, it's everything. Not a big deal, but a huge deal. These are the years that shape us into who we are. It's the time of many of our BIGGEST moments of impact in our lives. So, cheers to the teenage years. Cherish them, love them, and take a risk, because this is the one chance, the one time we'll be young, free, and careless; as teenagers usually are.

 

first impressions.

This is just a letter I wrote to someone that was feeling down about things people were saying about them. Sometimes people don't realize what kind of an effect words can have on others, and I hate to see people feeling bad about the things we, as human beings, say without thinking.

"First impressions can mean everything, but they can also have no meaning at all. People formulate full opinions of someone without knowing them at all. I'm not saying I'm exempt from this because we all do it. What I want you to know is that these first impressions should not bring you down. Words can be harsh, but just remember that no matter what people say about you, they don't truly know what kind of a person you are.

They will never know unless they take the time to figure it out and get to know you themselves. If the opportunity arises and they do get to know you and decide they don't like you, do not let it bring you down. If your personality is not one that they normally get along with and they don't want to take the time to try, then it becomes their problem, not yours.

Accept yourself, and always be yourself, and I promise it will take you farther in life than the judgements people make."