Having spent the past weekend rolling around on the grass with the children of a good friend of mine, I have fallen into a sort of self-reflection. I still consider myself to be somewhat of a child, and yet others my own age are already a parent of 3; you can blink and before you know it, 10 years have passed.
So now, at the sprightly age of 28, I have been considering what I would tell my 18-year-old-self based on my experiences:
1. You can do what everyone expects of you, but it won’t necessarily make you happy; if it’s not making you happy, is it worth it?
2. Never stop meeting people. Talk to them, learn from them and laugh with them. Admire, teach, help, and respect them. Be helped and respected by them. Love and make love.
3. Be smart with your money. ‘Smart’ doesn’t mean ‘tight’ or ‘boring’, it simply means ‘think very carefully before spending’. Money doesn’t grow on trees.
4. Travel near, travel far, just travel.
5. Drink so much that you do things you regret, you make a fool of yourself and you have the best time ever! But do not drink so much that you suffer memory loss. When you have blanks in your memory, you have left yourself vulnerable.
6. Ask yourself regularly: What are your values? What do you care about?
7. There is a time and a place to be serious. It’s not all the time.
8. It seems that people pass through your life for a reason. It may not always be to benefit you – sometimes it’s so that you can benefit them.
9. Try everything once.
10. Lay off the sugar!
In contradiction to the above, I wouldn’t tell 18-year-old-me anything – I wouldn’t have listened to 28-year-old-me anyway!
If you’re not sure why this post is called ‘halloumi’, ask yourself ‘what did the cheese say to itself when it looked in the mirror?’
Becky Jo 
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