as we embark on a new year tomorrow, we mustn't forget the lessons we've learned for the past year. this year for me was interesting: the ending and graduating of high school, the beginning and ending of relationships and friendships, the turning of new pages. i learned some valuable lessons that i hope will stick with me for the next few years while i organize and put together my life, if not stick around for what's left of it.

ONE. STOP FEARING THE UNKNOWN, THE UNCONTROLLED

If you ask any of my friends, they'll tell you that i am the one of the most indecisive people you will ever meet; i will always be the first person to call 'nose goes'. my family will tell you that when it came time to think about colleges and next years plans after high school, my limit for distance was two hours. while a lot of friends stayed within stay, i felt like two hours could bring me to boston or providence, far enough away that i had enough time to prepare for a surprise visit from my parents or close enough that i could be home within two hours. i thought i was set. until my sister suggested i look at UVM, a school five hours away with almost 14000 students in a small city, a school that i never would have though of. the description alone could have captured my heart, but the distance alone could have kept me away. i was afraid to leave everything i've ever known and venture into the scary world without a single familiar face. My dad and i went to visit the school, on a snowy rainy cloudy crappy day last winter. i fell in love. and i knew it was true love because i loved the school at it's worst, so how could i not love it at it's best too? after being there for a semester, i can honestly say i've never been so happy. it really is the perfect school for me, it's exactly what i wanted. i almost let the fear of something new keep me from being happy. i was so afraid to leave home, but i am so glad that i did.

TWO. SAY YES MORE THAN YOU SAY NO

After living on my own, i can say that i feel like an adult. i make my own doctors appointments, i pay for my food (mostly), i pay for my own clothes, and i manage my own life. Life is only so long. you'll only have so much time to take advantage of your young age or good health. get out there. climb some mountains, jump of some cliffs into unknown pools of water, splurge on a great pair of new shoes. i'm not telling you to go out there and do something crazy, but everyone needs to take advantage of the time they have left. soon i'll be done with college, soon i'll need to hopefully settle down and start a family, soon i'll need to have a full time job. all things that i want to do with my life, but now is the only time you have to do something crazy. between years at school, those summers are the only summers you have nothing to worry about. get a really awesome summer job somewhere fun, somewhere where you can experience something totally surreal. get out there! get busy!

THREE. TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM

as i was talking to a friend the other day, i asked him what his biggest fear was. he responded: "something happening that changes everything." in all my times of asking people their biggest fears, which i assure is more than the average person, that fear had never crossed my mind. with all five of my siblings living in five different states this year, we have all become independent grown people living different lives, traveling different paths. i never go a week without talking to each one, including my parents. thank god for technology making it so easy for us to keep in touch with people across the country at the touch of a few buttons. make sure you tell your friends you love them, make sure you tell them how much they mean to you, make sure you tell them how big of impact they have on your life, how much you appreciate everything they've ever done for you.

these are all of my opinions. you may find that you have different thoughts or feelings, but for me this is what is important in my life. i'm not asking you to agree with everything i say, but these are my feelings.