Ciao dears, I turned 21 years old about 2 weeks ago (March 16th). I meant to post this then but of course (and as usual) I didn’t have time. I was busy with school, as always, and having a little fun (not usual for me! lol!). I had to work on my birthday (boo!) but I did go out with some friends and family after to some bar in my neighborhood. It was…interesting, to say the least. No, I did not get drunk like some people tend to do. I have no desire to make myself look like an idiot and I’m terrified of what I might tell people if I were…haha! I did have a few drinks however, while laughing at the creepy and hilarious people who apparently hang out at bars. I will not be making a habit of hanging out at bars; I did not belong there at all. The day after my birthday, I had a little dinner party at my father’s restaurant. It was quite fun and most of my favorite people (friends and family) came to celebrate with me. I drank strawberry daiquiris (I like fruity drinks!) and chatted/laughed with friends. It was lovely. I also went to this casino near me for a bit afterwards, which was also interesting. I played the slot machines a little and blackjack, but I don’t really like gambling. I’d much rather take that money and go buy new shoes than waste it…lol! No gambling or drinking issues in my future, I suppose. I wore 2 really cute dresses, but I‘ll post those later, no time to edit the pictures now. Anyway, I wanted to post this list I started writing a while ago because I like lists, writing, and reflecting on random things. So here’s my random, thoughtful, strange, ridiculous, very, very long list of:
21 things I’ve Learned about Myself ,the World, and Everything in Between:
1.) When I was younger, I always thought certain things would happen in a certain way and by a certain time. For example, at 13, I’d have my first kiss. I’d meet the perfect boyfriend at 16. We’d get engaged by the end of college and be married shortly after (and then magical ponies would fly through the skies…lol! I was quite the delusional little girl). Then, I got older and realized nothing ever goes the way you plan or thought it would. I didn’t plan to not have a boyfriend until I was 20, ha,! It just happened that way…and I don’t really think I’d change it now that I think about it. Even though I was not particularly happy about it for a long time, years of dreaming and wishing for love and boys to like me back, probably taught me something. Maybe, I learned that really wonderful things in life are worth waiting for and that I will never be like everyone else…but who the hell cares! I’d rather not be! 2.) Everyone is beautiful in some way. I really believe it and it’s true, in my opinion. No, everyone does not look like a supermodel, but beauty is not only external. Everyone has something or a bunch of things that make them different or special, and that’s what makes them beautiful, internally and/or externally. 3.) Uniqueness is a wonderful thing. When you’re young, around 12-13, most people want so badly to fit in and be like everyone else. Sometimes that feeling lasts through out life, depending on the person I suppose. I personally hated that time in about the 6th and 7th grade, because I did not want to be like the rest of the crowd, lol. You should always be yourself, the people who truly matter will love you for it. 4.) You should always live by your own opinions. Yes, sometimes when you are confused or trying to make up your mind about something you may ask for others thoughts/opinions, which you should consider. In the end, though, you must live your life and make decisions based on your opinions. Yes, you’ll probably be very wrong sometimes, but then you’ll learn. You’ll learn something better if you make a mistake than just by hearing it from someone else. 5.) I am an utterly hopeless romantic. Even when things look awful and no one else has any hope of them getting any better, I will still have that tiny glimmer of hope that love will prevail and my prince will show up on his white horse to rescue me (haha!). If I love you, there is very little chance of me changing my mind about it or giving up. Then again, I fall in love a little too easily as well. It’s probably a fault, but I wouldn’t change it. I love love! I love romantic movies and books; anything with a romance interests me. I want more than anything else to find my “prince charming” (lol!) and live happily ever after. I’ll do anything to have it. I deserve it. I’ll either find I it or die trying, hopefully the former. (Even though I’ve broken up with my former boyfriend like 2 or 3 times…I still love him and miss him. I look at other guys and all I think is that they’re not him…so sad, I know) 6.) Fashion is fun! You should wear whatever you want! I certainly do to a certain extent. If I want to wear a bright pink tutu, green lipstick, or whatever, I do it, damn it! No, I won't wear them to school or somewhere where it would be inappropriate, but for fun, why not?! One day I may wear jeans and a t-shirt, the next I’ll wear a sparkly, frilly dress. Makeup and fashion are meant to be creative and fun and I love them! 7.) Everyone should read! I’m a little biased but there are no negatives to reading. You can learn about absolutely everything and anything you ever wanted. It develops your vocabulary. You can learn about and understand others viewpoints and opinions. Best of all, you can have fun! There are books, magazines, articles, and other things to read on absolutely every topic you could imagine. 8.) I need to create. To me, to create is to live. Whatever it is: writing papers, lesson plans, poems, stories, a novel, coloring, drawing, painting, scrapbooking, random arts and crafts, doing makeup, putting together cute outfits, etc. I love all things creative and without them I’d be so lost and bored. 9.) I’m always going to be a bit shy. I’m okay with it though, and it’s gotten much better than when I was younger. Some people seem to think that if you’re shy or introverted, there’s something wrong with you and you must be fixed to be an outspoken extrovert; but no, they’re wrong. I’m just shy. It does not make me less intelligent, just different than some. I deal with life and interact with people just fine. New people and certain situations like public speaking (other than with children for some reason) do make me rather nervous, but I deal with it. The world needs different types of people, otherwise, it’d be an incredibly annoying and boring place. 10.) Education is extremely important! Knowledge really is power and is incredibly amazing and useful. Elementary school is an important foundation for the rest of your life, both in school and otherwise. High School is also important and I think everyone should finish it. College or university can never really hurt you (other than financially…ha! too expensive!) and I believe you should go if it will help you towards a goal of a certain career or even if you just want to learn more about something and take a few classes that interest you. Education can also be gained in other ways and outside of school. Learning is important, any way you can learn something new and positive is always beneficial. 11.) I am (what I’m going to call) “intellectually greedy.” I want to know/learn as much as possible, especially about the many different things in which I’m interested. I want to read as much as possible, try/experience as many things as possible, and I love to make ridiculous lists of things I want to do/get/see. Luckily for me, I live in an age where a lot of information is very easily available, so I like to “Google” and research everything. 12.) I’ve always wanted to and will soon be a teacher. I was one of those kids who loved “playing school” with my friends, my little brother, and my dolls. Haha! I took it rather seriously. I loved pretending to grade tests taken by my teddy bears or my little brother, whom I semi-forced to “play school” for years. (He totally loved it and is now super-smart and does well in school…so apparently I did good!) I also love “teacher/school stuff” like stickers, pens, notebooks, crafty stuff, and basically all the school supplies. School shopping was and is still one of my favorite things to do! I also love children. The look on their faces when they learn something new and get excited is priceless and precious! There’s nothing else in this world I’d rather do really. I recently realized another reason why I wanted to be a teacher. I tend to love a lot of different things(goes along with that whole greedy thing, I suppose): lots of music, movies, books, styles, etc. and being a teacher encompasses so may different things/jobs. A teacher must be everything to their students both in the classroom and otherwise: an educator, an actor, a nurse, a psychologist, a parent, an entertainer, a judge, a police officer(ha!), etc. etc. A good teacher must be anything and everything her students need, and can make all the difference in the lives of children. 13.) I love music. I realize almost everyone likes some kind of music (who doesn’t really?). I am in love with it! I love to listen to all different types (pop, rap/hip-hop, classical, country, rock, etc.). I always have a hard time choosing a favorite song or singer because I like way too many. You may have noticed in some of my posts, I always associate everything and relate my life/problems to a song or 2. I love listening to music in my basement way too loudly, learning about different artists, songs, albums, reading books/internet articles about older and new artists, etc. 14.) I love to and maybe need to make lists! I always have a to-do list for the day, the week, the weekend, or whatever. When I was younger I would write them in my homework book/planner for school. I still do that sometimes, but now I usually use my laptop. Maybe I have a “life to-do list” including every important and ridiculous thing I ever want to do that I’m constantly adding to (and maybe is so many pages, I’m not going to admit how many…it’s scary, too much!) Maybe I have an obsession. I feel like if I write it down, I wont forget it and I’ll be more likely to make it happen/do it. I also like to make other kinds of lists: things to get at the store, things I want, favorites of whatever, etc. All my lists are always too long (much like anything I write!). 15.) I’m a little but of a food snob. I cannot stand certain types of food, mostly processed, very American type foods. This is probably due to the fact that my dad is an Italian chef/restaurateur and I was raised with homemade everything. I never have and never would go near tomato sauce in a jar (makes me sick to walk by in the grocery store). Please don’t be offended if you like anything I mention, it’s just my opinion. I am absolutely disgusted by things like processed soup in a can, those little pasta in a can things that some kids eat (Spaghettio’s….eww!), bologna, American bread, etc. They all just creep me out. I guess I prefer fresh food for the most part, and some things just bother me. 16.) I absolutely adore children. Not in a weird way, but I just genuinely love childhood; it’s such a magical period of life that can never be replicated. I love to see a smile brighten up a child’s face and I love the wonder and fascination they have with life. It’s part of why I want to be a teacher. One of my greatest joys in life is being an aunt to my 2 nieces and nephew. I love spending time with them! I hope/plan to have children of my own someday as well. (I would be a great mother. ) 17.) Every year, around the end of winter/springtime, when you start seeing all those teenager magazines with the frothy princess gowns for prom, I remember how I wish I could have gone to mine. It’s mostly because of the dress and the whole magical experience that every silly movie tells you it is supposed to be. I went to an all girls high school, was incredibly shy, and knew no boys to go with, so I’d didn’t. I’ll always wish I’d gotten to wear a huge Cinderella ball gown because how many times in a normal girl’s life does she get to do that? My only other chance is to either become a princess (lol!), or get married, but then the dress has to be white! Haha! I would have worn pink (obviously), with a huge full ball gown skirt and sparkles…lots of sparkles!! Sigh…oh well, you can’t always have what you want. 18.) Speaking of which, I always want what I cannot have! (Examples: almost every boy I’ve ever liked who didn’t like me back, magical prom night, parents who are together, etc.) That’s probably a thing a lot of people think, but whatever. 19.) I absolutely adore Walt Disney, his movies, and everything about the company he built. I plan to do a post or 2 on this eventually, but I’m sure I must’ve mentioned it before. I’m convinced he was a genius and made the world a better and more magical place. (I have this silly dream where he is my grandfather, since I never really had one…lol, weird, I know!) 20.) Some friends are for life. Some people come in and go out of your life. They are meant to be there for a certain amount of time and then they go away. It’s not always the most happy thing, but that’s life. Some friends, however are always there for you, even when you start to think you may have drifted too far apart, they remind you that they will be there for you. These people are priceless to you and wonderful to have in your life. It’s hard to tell sometimes, initially, if a friend will be like that. You never really can know for sure, but sometimes you get a feeling that they will be. Hopefully, you’re right. 21.) Last, but not least, I love myself! Everyone should! Of course, I have things I don’t like about myself, everyone does. I wish my thighs were thinner, that I were better at talking to guys, that I were better with people in general, etc., but these things aren’t that important. I love who I am, and wouldn’t want to be anyone else.
I’ll leave you with that cute and somewhat cheesy song. If you somehow managed to read that whole very long, obnoxiously self-indulgent list…you win bonus points from me (lol) and I think you’re awesome! I love you guys! Comment below if you’d like. What did you think of my list? Anything you’d like to share that you've learned about yourself, the world, or anything? ♥ Xoxo Gabriella
