I have grown up so much in the past year. I've been told my whole life that I am mature for my age, but this year I really feel like I'm seventeen going on forty. I just feel like I've gained so much wisdom. I got my first job over the summer and having a job, making your own money, and filing taxes is the definition of growing up. It's the most real-world experience I've had so far in my life that I wasn't sheltered from because I was a kid. It opened my eyes to how stressful a stereotypical adult life can be. It opened my eyes to how much my parents do and go through to provide me. It opened my eyes to how well they handle and balance it all so that my entire childhood I never knew how much stress and pressure they were under and how much they had on their plates. Now I tell my little sister not to beg for things she wants because I understand the concept of money so much better. Now I'm not picky about what my mom makes for dinner because I know she's had a long, hard day at work and the cooperation and gratefulness I give her can mean the world.
I have learned so much this past year. I have learned not to take what you have or the opportunities you get for granted. Deciding what college to go to is the biggest decision I've ever had to make, and I realized that going to your dream college or even just going to college is not a given. It's not something you can take for granted. I make more of an effort to spend time with my family now than I ever have because once I graduate I don't know how much I will see them. Even family that will always "be there" for you can't always be with you physically so you can't take them for granted. I have learned that hard work pays off. The college admissions process has finally proved that to me. Getting a job has proved that to me. The privileges and opportunities that come your way simply because of your hard work can be astounding. I have learned so many lessons. I learned that patience pays off, gratitude goes a long way, and time truly is a precious gift that can't be brought.
I have become the epitome of myself this past year. I still have so much growing and learning to do, but my own identity has finally started to take shape and reveal itself to others. And I'm proud of who I've become. I make mistakes, I overthink, I argue with my family, I have issues and flaws, yet I know I have so much to offer the world because no one is perfect. This is my life... and you only live once.
Sincerely,
Me
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