5 Things about 16

Today's my brother, Ethan's birthday. Someday I'll do a post all about him, because I think you all would love him. His sense of humor reminds me about Bill Hader from SNL, but he's also really strong in a lot of ways. I love him tons even when we're fighting, and I probably don't tell him that enough.

This is me and my brother Ethan, back in the day!

Anyway, He's sixteen today and that's a really big deal. He was telling me about how getting his driver's licence is only a stones throw away and how he's started to think about college and what he might want to do with his life. When I was sixteen, I had no idea what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be, so I'm really proud of him.

I remember when I turned 16 I threw a party with all my friends. I hung up tiny twinkling white lights in my backyard, lit one million candles,  wore a dress I bought on vacation and my mom made tons of pasta.  I think about how different I am now from that night what I hung up all those lights. I know that I'm not even three years older then I was then, but somehow I feel like I've lived a whole different life since then.

These are five things I wish I would have known when I turned 16.

1. You're a lot younger than you think you are. You're about half way through high school by the time you're 16, so stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You have all the time in the world to fall in love,  wear too much makeup, or make bad decisions. Don't rush yourself in to anything you aren't ready for just because you think you have to accomplish x, y and z in high school.

2. You need your parent's more than you think. Moving to another state to go to college was incredibly hard for me. I find myself calling my parents for pretty much everything. You don't realize that you're going to be the one who refills your contact prescription or shampoo, change the ink cartridge on your printer, shop for food you want or vacuum. Enjoy living under there roof, because the day is rapidly approaching where you will be dying to be sitting at the table with your family.

3. The world is really big and really scary. When I was 16 I was lucky enough to travel to Rwanda, which changed my life in a lot of ways (I'll blog about it soon!). Not many people get to experience something like that so young, so I feel very fortunate that my U.S. bubble was broken. It made me realize the depth of evil and cruelty in the world but also the limitless capacity for hope and beauty. My trip to Rwanda took off my rose colored glasses, and I'm so glad for that. When you're sixteen, you think you know everything about the world around you because you took Contemporary World History sophomore year. Not everyone will go to Africa, but everyone should seek to learn more about the world we live in and realize that there is so much more to explore than your hometown. Most importantly, know you don't know everything yet. That's something to celebrate.

4. Give your best, but not to everything. You'll regret not trying your hardest in all your classes, or not taking a chance to join that sport or club. Try things, savor every minute of getting to figure out who you are, what you like and what you don't. This won't stop after highschool, but you'll have less free time to do it. Don't be afraid to make a mistake or try something and fail, you'll probably end up learning something (or at least have a funny story).

5.  Invest in people who will honestly love you back. In high school , you put up with things you don't deserve and people who aren't authentic with you. The quicker you realize you shouldn't settle, the less you'll end up hurting in the future. As soon as you recognize someone manipulating or using you, drop them like a hot potato. You might have to learn this the hard way for you to really understand how important this is.

This post is dedicated to my brother, Ethan. Happy Sweet 16, the world is yours. I love you.

Always,

Emily

P.S. Enjoy these photos of my 16th Birthday Party!

P.S.S. What was your 16th birthday like? What are things you wished you would have know when you were 16? Let me know in the comments