Feb. 19 began Pisces season, a time of empathy, intuition and introspection. As a Pisces turning 20 years old in a few weeks, I’ve decided to take this time to reflect on what I have achieved these past two decades and what I hope to achieve in the next two. I’ve come a long way since my time in diapers. Not only can I go to the bathroom by myself now, but I have also grown into a young woman with ambitions and talents that I never imagined possible. I’ve overcome adversity and found beauty in diversity. I’ve made mistakes — many of them — but I learned from them. I learned that mistakes are simply lessons.
Like any lesson, sometimes we need to learn the same thing over again to completely understand it (and that’s OK). I learned to have empathy for everyone, including myself and those I don’t know. I learned the value of human life and that there are two sides to every story. I learned that history is told by the winners; if I truly want to understand what is going on in the world, I need to experience it for myself.
The most important lesson I learned in my 20 years is the importance of love in the human experience. I learned that we are nothing without love. Now, I don’t know what the next 20, 40 or (if I’m lucky) 60 years will hold for me.
Of course, life is never easy, but I know that if I live my life remembering the lessons, I learned in my first 20 years, my future will be filled with many beautiful experiences.