SIXTEEN. gah damn i don’t even know what to say. when you’re surrounded by teen fiction like i was, 16 was kind of *the* age. katniss everdeen fought to the death at 16, harry potter was (still) dealing with voldemort at 16, so many girls in the many books i’ve read found their “first love” at 16. it’s kind of weird to look at it now honestly. to imagine that when i was younger i was kind of imagining 16, like it was something so far away and it’s scary that it’s here. 16.
there are so many expectations of 16 as well. in the movies, in books, 16 is supposed to be such a magical year filled with love and adventure and finding yourself. however, as i stand at the forefront, about to cross into 16, life has proved to me again just how fake movies and books and fiction is. should i be worried about boys? having my first kiss? going on dates? (no, because unfortunately, the only thing i got on my mind is how the hell i am going to survive my junior year LMAO.) when we’re younger, we so very much glorify the age of 16 and as we get closer to the “very important” ages (16, 18, & 21) we start to realize that it really is no big deal. time comes by so quickly and it’s crazy to realize that i have really lived 16 years now. time always seems to go by sO fAST and then in a blink of an eye we’re 16, graduating high school, college…you get the picture.
16 sounds so grown, but at the same time, so young. at 16, i have the world ahead of me but it also feels like i have the world in my hands and the rest of my life has to be and will be determined *now.* i’ve found as i’ve grown older that this is really the time to be learning, growing, and preparing myself for the real world, out of my parent’s bubble and protection. i’ve come to accept that i will probably end up making a lot of mistakes in my life and that’s it’s okay, as long as i learn from them. i’m not scared of making mistakes, nor am i scared of facing the responsibilities of growing up.
i feel like i keep saying this, but it is truly crazy how fast time has gone. it feels like yesterday i was turning 13 and now, i’m freaking 16. if you told me to fight in the hunger games right now, lmao sorry little sis, but it’s all on you.
I love this Kaitlin! I’m 19, and to be honest, 16 and 18 are just years. There’s such expectation, like you mentioned, from books, movies, etc, on the “big” years. But real life is much different, and school takes up much more time than ever represented in the media. Nevertheless, I hope you have a wonderful 16th year and you enjoy some new-found freedom when it comes to reaching the big 16!
it’s going to go by so quickly and you will realize it was indeed just another year. stay wise and enjoy this year. keep your head about you as you navigate junior year because it was the hardest year of HS for me. thanks for sharing!