Two weeks ago, I finally turned 18. And instead of nervous excitement, the joy of being thrust into adulthood, I was filled with contemplation.

  See, all my life, I’ve always heard ‘It’ll make sense when you’re older, so for the longest time, I was expecting things to get clearer. On my 18th birthday, instead, I found I was quite the same.

  There was no intense change in maturity. No, I’m still as big of a dork as I’ve ever been. And no, I didn’t suddenly realize the answers to all of the questions I’ve ever had. And I realized, the only thing I learned upon turning 18, was that I wouldn’t actually learn anything just because I turned 18.

  Over the past four years of high school, I’ve learned quite a lot. I’ve learned to take something away from every experience I have, and have done so over the years. I’ve learned to be confident. I’ve learned patience and acceptance.

  I’ve learned to dream big. It’s something that I think most of us forget over the years. And most recently, I’ve learned the important power of wishing, but all of those lessons came over the process of years, not through a revelation on one day.

  The only thing I learned back on Feb. 1 was that there are no easy answers in life. No stunning revelations that occur upon gaining a year. Originally, I planned on writing this column about what I learned on my birthday. But, I couldn’t zero in on any one particular thing.

  Instead, the only thing I learned was that there are no crazy gains in wisdom that come with turning a year older. In a way, I was kind of expecting that. Expecting that somehow, things would become clearer and I’d know exactly where I was in life and where I wanted to go, and I feel rather foolish for thinking that way.

  Instead, the only thing I’ve learned is that I’ve still got a long ways to go. I’ve realized that I’m not little anymore, and that there’s this boundless road of ‘adulthood’ and ‘future’ before me, full of responsibilities and challenges that I just have to keep walking along.