To the twenty-one year old who thinks she's got it figured out

Hey you.

Remember when you wanted to be a physical therapist?  Then conveniently switched to psychology, because I mean,  those are quite similar.  What?  And now you absolutely love your human development professor. Good thing you have options. Who knows what they're majoring in at age 21 anyway?

Guess what?  Frustrating as it may be,  it's OK that you don't know yet. You're not alone.

On a side note, knowing you, you're probably wishing Prince Charming would waltz right in and walk with you on such a beautiful fall evening.

*Prince Charming: if you're reading this, thank you in advance for supporting my obsession with herbal tea,  rom-coms, late night walks, and good books.

 Oh, and also for letting me be totally and completely myself with all the sides: The extrovert who loves to dress up, go to movies, run through the sprinklers, and get super competitive playing banana grams.  And also the introvert that sometimes stays in on Friday's to read, drink hot cocoa, and write blog posts, all while wearing sweats and a hat. And who could forget the analyst in me that ponders e v e r y t h i n g and asks intuitive questions,  expects intuitive answers, and listens intuitively. Thank you for being a gem. That's all.*

Wow.  Amiright?  I would say that the reason being 21 is the best and the worst is because the world is at your feet.  Endless opportunities,  life-changing decisions, all while making next to nothing and living off of tortillas."It was the best of times, and the worst of times" has never been so true, for me at least.

You know what? Why do we worry so much?

Worrying is a disease.  

I can worry about 20 things all at the same time; finances, my major, the boy I kissed last weekend, do my socks match, etc. etc.

STOP IT.

Life has a way of working itself out. 

And If we stop worrying and give it a chance to do so, all the stars will align and we will end up where we're supposed to be with who we need to be with.  End of story. Period.

Well that felt good.

So, basically,  you still have none of the "Big stuff" figured out.

And you're still eating lots of tortillas.

But at least you have some wonderful (and not so wonderful)  memories. The latter are the lessons, in case you were wondering.

Life is beautiful. 

The world is yours.  

There will be better dinners than tortillas and herbal tea.

But enjoy this moment because it will never come back. And when there are no more tortillas there will be plenty of macaroni and kiddos to take care of, and maybe you'll miss these simpler days sometimes.You will never be the same as you are right now.

There is always hope.

Aubrey

P.S. some of my favorite lessons and moments since being 21: 

DON'T SETTLE. God has some wonderful gifts waiting to be opened by you if you will wait and trust Him. I know, it's hard. But I also know, that I've received some of my most favorite, most cherished gifts this year. 

Do not put it on anyone or anything else to make you happy. YOU are in charge of that. Do whatever you need to do to get there. And be aware that sometimes that might mean allowing yourself to feel the whole spectrum of human emotions when unfortunate things happen. Let yourself feel all of that, and then remind yourself that you deserve to feel all the happy ones too. 

Being realistic is important. Being positive is powerful. Being cynical is a waste of time, every time. 

I've found this to be more than true. We all need our rest and can only go full speed for so long. Take care of yourself. 

Taking care of myself this month meant I took a weekend to go far away and ride a horse. It was slightly scary at first because the last time I rode I was 12 and got bucked off, but let me tell you something: IT WAS AWESOME. I loved it. It was exactly what I needed. So go find your 'horse,' whatever that may be in your life. You'll be glad you did. 

Family. They are my world not just now but forever. 

People will always always always be more important than anything else. I mean it; grades, money, work, anything. Make time for the people that you love and you will find life to be a much richer experience.