21 things I've learned at 21.

In no specific order, here are 21 things I've learned in 21 years:

1. Sometimes you just need a good, hard cry sesh. And it’s totally okay if it happens in front of other people. In fact, the people who stick around for your cry sesh are the ones worth keeping.
2. A big brother is one of the best things a girl can have.
3. The best car jams, even in a parked car, are still old school Taylor Swift.
4. I should lean and depend on other people. But not without being aware of the fact that they’re not perfect, and neither am I.
5. Living alone, without roommates, is one of the best and worst things I’ve ever experienced.
6. Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose… forever.
7. Don’t take your family for granted.
8. The things that scare you are the things that are worth it 99% of the time.
9. It’s better to not be okay and honest about it than to not be okay and acting like you are.
10. Growing up isn’t what little kid me thought it would be. It’s weird. And hard. And kinda sad. But amazing. And scary. Yet exciting.
11. I really love my dog. Like, a lot. I fully admit that I'm that girl who is too obsessed with her dog. (Or all dogs for that matter. I just really love dogs.)
12. Dreams and plans change. And that’s okay. It’s a good thing, actually.
13. My parents are two of my best friends. And they always will be.
14. For some reason, one wound that’s a decade old, has wrecked me on the daily this year. Wanting someone back doesn’t get easier, and time doesn’t always heal. I’d do anything to be able to call my grandpa on the phone every day; missing him truly feels like it only gets harder with time. Even after a decade, cancer still really, really sucks.
15. I can’t control other people. And their decisions about their life shouldn’t control my life.
16. I can spend hours writing without it feeling like hours.
17. I’m my biggest critic. And a master overthinker. Both of these things often aren’t good things.
18. Pain will turn into something positive.
19. Pizza, coffee and puppies are the way to my heart.
20. People care. Everyone doesn’t leave. Some do, but not everyone. Don’t feel guilty when others choose to care. Let them in your life.
21. Things will happen in God’s timing, not mine. And I’m thankful for that.