The Birthday Post

Today is my 26th birthday. It feels like just another day. It seems as though the older I get, the less significant the birthday’s become. It’s not the same anymore as an adult, but that doesn’t mean I stop celebrating.

I read something on the Co-Star app a few days ago that caught my eye. It said “This is my life, this is where I’m supposed to be.” Society has told us that we should be at a certain place by a certain age and if we’re not, then we are just falling behind. You’re not married with kids yet?! Quick, you’re running out of time! Life isn’t a race and I sure don’t want to live mine that way.

I recently found some writing I did in my sophomore year of high school. It had a list of my goals for the next ten years and things I wanted to accomplish. I was astonished by how accurate they were. I remember having a timeline laid out in my head for how my 20’s would look – and it honestly hasn’t turned out that way. I even asked my friends if this is where they wanted to be at this age, and they all laughed at me.

You can’t plan for how your life is going to go. Life is unpredictable and often uncontrollable. I had no idea I was going to be diagnosed with a chronic illness at 21, be in remission by 24, get my master’s at 25, and begin teaching a college course shortly after. This is not what I imagined my life looking like when I was in high school, but I’m so happy with the way it turned out and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I can be really hard on myself and I’m always demanding more because I want to continue to learn and achieve. It’s just in my nature. But when I look at my life as a whole, I’ve done a pretty damn good job. Like one of my friends tells me – I need to give myself more credit because I deserve it.

So right now, I’m incredibly happy with where I’m at and what I’ve accomplished so far. Today, I feel the healthiest I have ever been and that is beyond anything I could ever wish for. I truly feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be and I can’t wait to see what the latter half of my 20’s brings me.

Thank you, as always, for all the love and support!