24 things I've learned in my 24 years

24. 

I have been alive for 24 years. 

I was / still am not happy about how OLD I AM. 

But there is literally nothing on this earth that I can do to change it. 

I 'celebrated' my birthday and I use this term loosely because instead I mourned the fact that I had aged a whole year with nothing to really show for it.

I often wonder at what age will I loose the feeling like I am wandering around aimlessly looking for the right answers and the right direction. 

I am classified as a young adult. and I couldn't be further from the truth. 

So instead of me rambling on about how sad I am about the fact that I turned 24.

Here are some things that I have realised in my 24 years on this planet. 

1. Self respect is extremely important
2.  Sometimes who you were friends with a year ago,  five years ago,  ten years ago might not be who you are friends with now and it is OKAY. People grow apart.  
3.  Save some sort of money. even if it's only a tenner once a month. 
4.  Surround yourself with people of similar interests because if they don't understand you how do you expect to understand yourself?
5.  If a guy is emotionally, physically or verbally abusive, GET OUT. 
6.  Don't share everything about yourself on social media. 
7.  It is okay to still have no idea what you want to do with your life. 
8.  Travelling is one of the greatest things you will ever get to do. do it more. 
9.  Take photos often and of the things you love. 
10.  Do what you love, screw what anyone thinks of you
11.  staying in doing nothing is the new going out. content AF!
12.  Not everything is meant to work out. Sometimes things end. 
13. Your friends don't always have your best interests at heart 
14. Don't be so hard on yourself. your doing your best.
15. STOP comparing yourself to other people: everyone is at different stages of their lives. 
16. Not every action needs a reaction!
17. Stop planning things around friends, if you want to do something THEN DO IT! 
18. Don't be afraid to make the first move
19. Also delete tinder its not good for you. 
20. Spend time at home, your family is important: don't take it for granted.
21. Appreciate your parents more: they're not here forever.
22. Same goes for your grandparents. Put down your phone and spend time with them.
23.  Make effort with friends who are drifting apart, but also remember it's not all down to you. 
24. and finally stop taking what you have for granted, others would kill to have what you have. 

                                                                         x 

Tinder Banter

Tinder for those mere mortals who have no idea what I am talking about, is a 'dating' app (and I use the term dating loosely) It connects to your Facebook profile which allows you to see if you have potential mutual friends with other people. It allows you to set up an age range of 18 to 55+, a distance range of up to 160km, if you prefer men/women or both and allows you to upload six sessy images of yourself. Bobs you uncle, Fannys your aunt and your all set to go Tindering!!

The idea is you look at pictures of people, you can swipe left to say no and right to say yes. Shallow, judgmental YES I know! We don't want to appear to be superficial, but at the end of the day: looks do matter.

As Irish people when Tinder first came around we feared it. 'Online' dating was and still is something that us Irish people don't see as the norm. Usually we are not the forward type and those that are, are deemed as 'creeps'.

I have two group of friends: the ones who have been in over eight year relationships: some are engaged, some have had babies, and some have just gotten into new relationships (RIP to my single ladies......) and then there is my single friends shifting round them like it's going out of fashion.

My friends in those long term relationships won't get tinder. I mention I am going on a date and BOOM this is the guy I will marry. No lads, this is just a free meal and a movie.

Tinder's not going anywhere anytime soon, so lets embrace the awkwardness of it all and swipe to our hearts content while sitting in the comfort of your bed looking so far from what your Tinder profile would appear to be.WINNER.

In my opinion or at least the people I know it that 'we' are apprehensive in saying we are meeting someone off Tinder or other dating apps. But at the end of the day it's all for a bit of craic right?  that and the Sunday night fear of ending up alone forever. But that's a whole other story.

I have been on and off Tinder since it started. I decided when I moved to Limerick I would get it again, new place new faces and that lasted all of 2 months. I got sick of repeating the same story over and over when inevitably it going nowhere. I deleted it for the third time and was forced out into the real world where looks still determined who you would talk to (with the help of a couple of glasses of wine.)

That was until one Sunday night when boredom overtook and I downloaded it again.

Wham bam thank you mam, One week later I was on a date.

My first tinder date.

CUE PANIC STATIONS.

Was I shitting myself? most certainly.
Did it go well? it went...grand.
Did he look like his photos? thankfully, yes.
Did I look like my photos? I looked worse.
Did we meet again? Yes we did. all the usual date type scenarios.bowling, cinema, netflix.
GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER.

Long story short- pun intended. It was short lived but an experience and I got to see a few free movies so I can't complain.

So do I expect to meet the love of my life off tinder? Hell no. I am not the exception to the rule of those Tinder love stories you hear about.

BUT I will continue to furiously swipe right just for the sheer banter and the fear of ending up alone at my best friends wedding next year. HA.ha....ha..............

Unsuccessfully Tindering,

Yours,

Sinéad

    x

21st century Romeos