So it's been quite a while since I posted on this blog...but I figured better late than never, right? Jake is working til late tonight so I'm spending most of NYE alone, and figured this was a good time to make another post.
This year has been another adventurous one for Jake and I. The best part of our year would have to be finally adopting our own furbaby. We've really loved having Zoe as part of our little family; she's had more of an impact on our relationship than we expected, but we definitely wouldn't change a thing!
Since another year has gone by and a lot of people are reflecting on the year(s) past, I thought this was a good time to post about three things I wish I hadn't done when I was younger. So here they are, in no particular order!
A typically MySpace picture of me circa 2007 (I was 15)
Don't date before you're 16.
I had my first real boyfriend when I was 15. We dated for about six months and broke up the WEEK AFTER I turned 16. I remember being really pissed about that haha. And it messed up, partly because I was so young, and partly because of the specific guy I dated. He was 18, so a lot of the struggles he was going through were with things that I hadn't had to deal with yet, and being "exposed" to those problems kind of messed with my head. I definitely wish I had waited. While I learned a lot from the relationship, I think I could have learned the things in other places or other ways.
Don't have important conversations over text or social media that could be done in person.
I'm sure I'm not the only one that has experienced miscommunications between friends or family through Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc. Emotions (especially sarcasm) just can't be portrayed as deeply through a screen as they can be in person, or even through a phone call where you can at least hear the other person's voice. Especially when I was in high school, this problem was common with friends or with guys I was dating/interested in. So many misunderstandings and heartbreaks and hurt feelings that could have been avoided occurred.
Carly and I December of 2009
Don't say yes to people just because you feel like you have to.
I still have a hard time saying no when people ask me to do something I really don't want to do, although I've gotten better about it over time. I got myself into a lot of awkward, stressful and just plain painful situations because I couldn't say no without feeling like I was letting someone down, and I couldn't live with that guilt. While I obviously survived these things, I really wish I had been able to put my foot down and say no to things that made me feel uncomfortable! When you say yes to something you don't want to do, you might not be letting down a friend or family member, but you're letting yourself down. And your personal mental health is (usually) more important than whatever little thing someone else is asking of you.
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