I hear that there are two people in this world: the people who do not like their birthday and the people who love their birthday. I am definitely the latter. I have always loved my birthday. I love the joy of celebrating the day you were born and a new year ahead! But it is also a very bittersweet day for me. 

Every year in the weeks before my birthday I just wish I could stay the same age forever. But then once I turn the new age, I think I enjoy it a little bit more than the last year. This week I am not creating a list or a guide, but just sharing my thoughts for my last blog being 17.

I would say my best advice is to not dwell on the age change. I could not count the amount of times I have heard “last days being a kid” in the past weeks, and it can seem really daunting. I think it’s important to realize that while birthday “age changes” are special, you are still the same person you were yesterday. 

I think one of the best parts about being 17 is all of the songs. I am not sure what it is about the age, but so many songwriters love basing their songs around the year. That will definitely be the biggest heartbreak when I turn 18.

This year will be the year I graduate and move to college, which means this year I could possibly live in a different state away from everything I know now. But I am looking forward to it all. This week, I am going to work on writing a personal list of all of my goals for the year ahead. In a way I feel like my birthday to me is New Year’s Day for most people. 

Here’s my main one: don’t worry so much. Sounds like a simple piece of advice, but it is something I am truly going to put at the top of my list. If you spend all of your time worrying about what’s ahead, you will miss out on what is in front of you.

17 is such a comfortable year and I know being 18 will bring a lot of new experiences. I am not one to get too sappy, but I am definitely going to miss being this age. 17 is definitely a perfect age in my opinion, but I also think 18 will be too. 

That’s it for this week! I’ll see you next week, one year older!

As always

Love, Haley