26.
It’s my birthday today! I feel like it always seems to sneak up on me and then suddenly it’s here. I’m kind of lucky in that Charles and I share a birthday, so we get to celebrate together every year. This year is the same. We’re out to dinner at our favorite local restaurant tonight and exchanging gifts at home. He doesn’t know yet, but I got him some new books, and some cycling pants so he can ride his bike more. We’re low-key as you can tell, but I’ll share some of my birthday gifts in a few days!
Anyway, the main event. I never know what to do on the blog for my birthday. I want to acknowledge the growth that has happened over the past year in my life…the high points, and the low points…and my hope for next year, but I also feel like that’s so expected at this moment.
So, let’s talk about it. 25 was…interesting. I entered the year having left a job that I hated and making the decision to move back to Montana. I made it back and took a job that is almost equal parts joy and frustration, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Maybe it’s a little more joy. Charles and I made it official when I got on his health insurance (still not married yet, folks), and things there are going great. We’re still exploring our new home and figuring out what the next five years are going to look like for us.
Smiling my way into 26.
I want to say that this is the first year that I’ve really felt like a true adult. It was my first year where I didn’t spend a single moment as a student, and instead entering the real, full-time workforce. I also feel like we’re moving toward the future in a better place – we’re paying down debt, hiding away money, and working on passion projects. It’s been good in that way.
This year has also been difficult in other ways. One of the things about being an adult is that adult problems suddenly start to show up. Our friends that were some of the first to get married…are now getting divorced. People have had pregnancies end. Critically ill children. Deaths of parents and husbands and wives. We’re not old enough for these things to be commonplace, but not young enough for them to not happen. It’s tested how we react to these situations, and what it really means to “be there” for someone. But we’ve also had joy. Watching friends get married, become parents, buy houses, start new chapters.
I’ve made new friends. I’ve lost friends. I’ve gotten stronger and tougher. I gained ten pounds and 20. I learned how to trust my instincts and how to be a better person. Growth doesn’t always come without sacrifice and I think this year is a tribute to that.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen by this time next year. I booked a summer full of clients and travel and seeing my family and have confirmed another year at my job is in the cards. The past few years, my lists of goals has been long, but this year, I only have a few.
This coming year:
I want to be the best partner I can to Charles, the best daughter I can to my parents, and the best friend I can to those I care about.
I want to spend more time doing things I love, and less doing things I hate, and less time complaining.
I want to treat my body like a temple and take control of my health.
I want this year to be my best yet.
Thanks for being a part of my 25th trip around the sun. Here’s to many more.
