The editor has been seeking younger voices to expand perspectives in The Leader. What is it like to be 18 today? How do you prepare for the future in this complex world? How do you decide what you …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you had an active account on our previous website, then you have an account here. Simply reset your password to regain access to your account.
If you did not have an account on our previous website, but are a current print subscriber, click here to set up your website account.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
* Having trouble? Call our circulation department at 360-385-2900, or email our support.
Please log in to continue |
|
The editor has been seeking younger voices to expand perspectives in The Leader. What is it like to be 18 today? How do you prepare for the future in this complex world? How do you decide what you want to do, who you want to be? What advice do you have for others?
Here goes:
I graduated May 28, 2023, in a small town in Montana, with a graduating class of around 32 people. A few months after graduating, I went to Port Townsend thinking this was going to help me figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. It definitely didn’t have that effect, but moving here has taught me a few things still.
One year later I've learned that it really isn’t about the land that you are on. It isn’t going to change who I am as a person just because I moved from a small town to another small town but with seagulls. It still feels like I am the same person that I was on the day I threw my cap.
I have experienced a completely different way of life away from everything and everyone I knew but still haven't discovered who I want to be.
I realize now it is a little ridiculous to think everything is going to change in just one year. Sometimes life-changing takes one day but for others it can take years. It could also be me trying to hold on to not being ready to grow up yet, my immaturity holding me back.
I won’t be too hard on myself for this one and just accept change takes time and that we all have so much time. Sometimes I am just as scared for change as I am excited. I am scared that maybe with change, I'll become cruel or mean, and maybe my relationships with others will falter. What if I forget where I came from, but at the same time, it could end up being the best thing I have ever done for myself? I could become a better version of myself, give myself the opportunity to open up to my friends and family, and be able to take care of those around me. Do the things in life that are the most important to me. Be someone who isn't afraid to go to sleep and start the next day.
Even though living here didn’t go how I expected it to, I still think it has pointed me in the right direction. That's all I really needed.
Charlie Mullen works in the front office of The Leader. She is headed to college in the fall.
