Dear Me, Happy Birthday, Love Yourself

It’s Dec. 1, 2025. The time is 11 p.m., an hour until twelve. I sit in my twin XL bed fiddling with the fringe of my hot pink Anthropologie blanket, anxiously waiting for midnight to arrive. Penn State becomes a quiet tundra. People are finishing essays, doing laundry, some just plain relaxing, normal Monday night activities, but me? I’m waiting. Each second that passes by brings me closer. Closer to another lap around the sun, another candle on the cake, the last year of my teens, my 19th birthday.

A Time Capsule

This piece is meant to serve as a time capsule, not only for me, but for you, to inspire change and growth. I can’t wait to look back at this piece a year from now, when I turn 20, and see if I followed through with the promises to myself.

I will admit it is now Dec. 3. When the clock struck midnight on the first my glass slippers turned into a party hat and my pumpkin turned into presents and I took the day to celebrate my birthday surrounded by the most amazing people, so yes I am officially 19, but the telltale meaning of this piece, at its core, will remain the same.

A Reflection of 18

Ah, the first year of adulthood. My 18th year was definitely something to celebrate. I made strides not only in my education and future career, but as a person.

I discovered the meaning of true friendship and how you have to make sacrifices for the people you care about. I realized heartbreak is temporary, and the flowers cannot grow without a storm every now and then. I also discovered that it’s okay to be broken, because the people in your life will be there with superglue to put you back together again.

Was being 18 perfect? No, far from it, actually, but you have to realize that’s what makes life worth living, the flaws and imperfections that you encounter along the way. 

A Vision of 19

Now that I have thoroughly covered the lessons learned when I was 18, I want to make a vision board for my 19th year. Please feel free to use my promises to myself as a baseline for your own, because as a double major in journalism and English, I have done a lot of writing, thinking and reflecting, and I feel as if I have constructed a pretty solid list of the top three things I want to work on and remember in this new chapter.

1. Continue to be yourself, even in the face of adversity. As queen of pop, Lady Gaga said, “‎Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses, cuz we were born this way bitch!”
2. Be kind to others. A phrase said by people a lot, but never really followed through with, be the rock when someone needs to lean on you.
3. Lastly, but most importantly, do not ever let anybody tell you no, you ARE capable.

One last note to myself: make the most of it, because everything only happens once. Happy Birthday, see you when you’re 20! (and of course ruling the world.)

How do you feel about starting anew? Let us know @VALLEYmag on Instagram!

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