I turned 18 on 2 June. It's been just over 2 months since I became 'a big girl'
I thought that I would share some of the things I have learnt about being 18 and what I did and didn't expect would happen.

Things I expected:

1. I expected a lot of responsibilities and stress.
Only part of this is true. Yes there are responsibilities because when you turn 18 in South Africa you are legally allowed to drink, drive and vote. (Don't ask me why all 3 are allowed at the same time..?) Yes we are allowed a lot more privileges I mean now I can drive where ever I want which is amazing. (I need to get my license before I can do that though.. ) However what I expected was far greater.

I expected to be loaded with responsibilities and having to care for my siblings and having to sign a lot of documents. I have no idea why I thought it was going to be stressful or a huge responsibility. Yes, I am responsible for my actions and it's very stressful at the moment because of my final exams coming up in school but honestly, it's nothing compared to what I expected. After exams are over, I won't be as stressed. (because then I'm done with school whooo)  I guess what I am trying to say is the stress and responsibilities I imagined were way over exaggerated.

2. Crazy parties every weekend.
I figured that since I was now allowed to drink alcohol, I would be having crazy parties every other weekend. This is FAR from the truth since I still haven't even had my first drink. I haven't been to a party yet. This is all because I have school work to focus on and a book stack to read. (Although this could just be because I am an introvert book and tea addict... oh well.) I have come to terms that all that crazy partying isn't really my scene. I love to party if it's for a celebration but I guess a crazy party 'just because' isn't a place you'd find me but that's just me, let me know in the comments how you feel about partying. Are you a party animal? or are you like me? :)

3. I'd feel a lot older.
On the day of my birthday I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I felt older. Don't ask me why but I sort of had butterflies in my stomach when I realised I was 18 all of a sudden. It felt like a massive shift in my life. On the other hand, the night before I wasn't as excited to wake up in the morning as I have been in previous years. I used to not be able to fall asleep, not just because I knew I would open presents in the morning but because it was MY day. The day no one could be mean to me and I'd get million's of phone calls from family members and friends. It was just so exciting. I mean it's not like I wasn't at all excited for my 18th, it was just that I didn't have trouble falling asleep. (I think I'm just getting old....)

4. No Child Movies.
I felt like once the 2nd of June was over, it meant that I wouldn't be able to watch any Disney movies any more. This is far from true since i'm sure I've watched at least 10 different Disney movies since then. I even watched one today ;)

5. No more puberty and instant beauty.
I thought that as soon as it hit midnight on the 1st of June, I would go through this change and instantly be a beautiful woman. However, this did not happen. I still get the odd pimple and I pretty much looked exactly the same as I did when I went to bed, besides the fact of bed hair. BUT! Here's the thing, since turning 18 I have learnt something which relates to this. To find out carry on reading :)

Things I've Learnt:

1. Beauty isn't determined physically.
You're not considered 'beautiful' just because you're wearing Mac lipstick and carry around a Chanel handbag. You're considered beautiful by your personality. Your number of likes on an Instagram or the number of compliments on how good your hair looks does not matter in determining how beautiful you are.

2. I still have a lot to learn.
I may now be a young adult and all but that doesn't mean I suddenly know everything. I still have plenty to learn. Sure I'm wiser than my younger sister from my experiences but I still am not as wise as my parents or my gran. Heck I only have my first driving lesson today!

3. 18 years is both long and short.
To me, 18 years feels like forever but that I realised is that I remember being only 5 years old and I felt like 5 years was forever but if I think back to now, 5 years of my high school has just flown by. I'm sure to my mom18 years must have flown by too, especially with 3 other kids keeping her busy. As for my gran, being 18 years old to her must feel like a lifetime away but that's okay. Pretty soon even I will be old and grey and look back on this moment and remember writing this post and that's pretty awesome if you ask me.

4. Memories are moments saved through time.
I am a very sentimental person. I have kept a 'memory box' since I can remember. I remember feeling proud at how I came up with the idea all on my own in-visioning my wrinkled self in a rocking chair laughing at all the memories. I never thought at 18 I would be doing that.*
 To me, it's extremely important to have these memories to look back on because as I age, I know i will forget this and even now i love to be reminded of the time I called lemons 'Baw-llies' and the time my dad put clothespins all over me or the time my friend and I sneakily climbed out on the roof - you know who you are ;)

5. I have my life ahead of me.
In short, I may think that i'm the 'big thing' right now and just want everything to happen now but I have plenty time for everything to happen. I still have time before collage. I still have time before I need a boyfriend. I still have time before I have to do anything.

A good friend once told me that I shouldn't waste my time stressing on something thats only happening a couple years from now. Rather I should focus on what's happening now and cross the bridge when I get there.

What can you take away from this?
Basically, no matter your age. If you're 1 or 101, starting living your life in the moment. If you messed up in the past, forget about it. Move on and live your life having known you survived you mistake. If you're worried about something in the future, stop worrying, have fun now. If you need to prepare for it then plan so that you aren't stressing the night before.

Stop living a stressful and worried lifestyle and start living one worth living.

*Here's a link to watch me opening my Memory box:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGBvwIb297U