I recently turned 26 and some of you reading this may be thinking to yourself “damn she is old” while others may be laughing because you know how much life I have left to live. Regardless of what you think, the reality is that I am 26 and my feelings on the matter are kind of in between both extremes.
My eight year old self and probably my sixteen year old self also would have thought that at 26 I would be married, living in some cool place and maybe have a kid and maybe even another one on the way.
Now that I am actually 26, with friends who are married, friends who are living with their significant other and friends that have children, I know I am not yet in the same position that they are. I am single, I am without a child and I am still figuring out where I want to live and where I want to go.
The reality is that I always thought that growing up was being married with a family, but the older I get the more I realize that growing up all comes from within. You do not need a kid or a ring on your finger to feel like you have everything figured out because no one has anything figured out.
No one ever really “grows up”, people just start adjusting to their surroundings and start figuring shit out as they go.
Right now, at the age of 26, I am thrilled to call myself a writer. However, come find me at 40. Maybe I will be doing something else. What I am trying to say is that no one knows where they will end up, what they will be doing and who they are going to be doing it with.
The beauty of life is that you do not need to make a plan, you do not need to have everything figured out by a certain age. Realistically speaking, when you do make a plan, the universe just laughs and throws you something completely and utterly unexpected in your path and fucks up your little plan entirely.
Everything I do brings me one step closer to filling up this exquisite tapestry called my life. Every mistake, every “ah-ha” moment, every heartbreak and every laugh leads you to exactly where you need to be.
In this world filled with unknowns, there is one thing I promise to myself and that is the following:
I will never stop dreaming and fantasizing about every possibility out there because nothing is out of reach for me.
Everyday is a new journey and each day, there is a new reason why I am grateful for my life.
No, it is not because I am living some fabulous and lavish life. It is solely because I am doing the right steps to figure myself out. Everyday I learn a little bit more about not only the woman I am but the woman I aspire to be and the woman I am becoming, is one bad ass bitch.
My advice to you, is live a life that feels right to you. We feel the need to constantly explain ourselves and our choices to those around us when that is the last thing we should be doing. The only approval you need in life is your own, if you feel good with who you are and you are happy on your journey, who gives a shit what anyone else thinks?
Am I where I thought I would be at 26? No.
Am I who I thought I would be? No
Am I happy? Absofuckinglutely and that is really all that I care about.