adios, mid-twenties
5:09 PM
Most birthdays come and go and I feel like nothing has changed. But this one, this one is different. This is where shiz gets real. At 27, you officially enter the late-twenties stage, and voila! You become a real adult.
Here is what it means to be a real adult, according to this "grown-up" checklist I created at some point in elementary school:
- College degree
- Job
- House
- Married
- Kids
All in that order. And by age 25.
It's funny how you envision your adult life when you are a kid. And I bet when I'm 40, I'll probably laugh at my 27-year old vision of my 40-year old life.
I'm glad that things didn't turn out how I thought they would at age 10. Or at age 20. I didn't expect to meet the love of my life and get married just shy of my 21st birthday. I had plans. Big plans. Plans to move overseas and work in Vietnam. And then plans changed. After I graduated with my master's degree, I ended up working for a startup company. It was crazy and intense, but I loved the thrill of the ride. And then plans changed again. We moved across the country for Matthew to go back to school, and here I am starting over again. I can't say that each time life took an unexpected turn I was happy or grateful. Because I wasn't. But now looking back on things, I'm so glad that things didn't turn out how I thought they would.
If there's anything that I have learned in my 27 years of life, it's that we know nothing. Meaning, we have no idea what life will bring us. We can make plans and try really hard to make things happen the way we want them to, but things don't always work out how we think they should. And that we just need to appreciate where we are, right this moment. And be satisfied and grateful for the life we have, even if it it's not exactly how we had imagined.
So maybe at the end of my late-twenties I'll be able to check off all of my real adult boxes. Maybe not. And it's okay. Growing up isn't about checking off boxes. It's about making every moment count. Being content with who you are and where you are. Forgiving. And loving unconditionally.
Grateful for all that I've been blessed with this past year. Grateful for all the changes in our life. Grateful for more changes to come. Grateful for today. Excited for tomorrow.
Late-twenties here I come!
So maybe at the end of my late-twenties I'll be able to check off all of my real adult boxes. Maybe not. And it's okay. Growing up isn't about checking off boxes. It's about making every moment count. Being content with who you are and where you are. Forgiving. And loving unconditionally.
Grateful for all that I've been blessed with this past year. Grateful for all the changes in our life. Grateful for more changes to come. Grateful for today. Excited for tomorrow.
Late-twenties here I come!
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