It’s hard to believe tomorrow is my twenty-third birthday. I know everyone says this, but it really does feel like yesterday that I woke up on my birthday last year! (and let me tell you–that was a weird way to wake up. I had fallen asleep on the beanbag chair in my husband’s, then fiance’s, living room and woke up to one of his housemates singing a song on ukelele at 7 a.m. Not completely out of the norm for my life in college, but it was a thing to remember for sure.)
Twenty-two was definitely a year of crazy transitions for me. I graduated from college, left my job, got married, moved to a new city, got two new jobs, and adopted a new pet. If you feel like you’ve got whiplash reading that, that’s pretty much how I felt.
I have had to learn a new outlook on life. My life is so different from the place it was a year ago that if I stayed in the same thought patterns and looked at the world the same way now as I did then, I’d be super confused. Although transition can be difficult at times and I often question what my purpose is here (see my last post for details on that journey), I think I have grown for the better.
Within the struggle of missing the friends I am so close to and was so used to being around, I have been learning how to build new community and how to appreciate myself. I have had valuable time spent with my husband and valuable time spent re-learning my own passions and likes/dislikes. Although I found myself in some dark places during this year, I also found myself in the midst of a lot of excitement at times! Our wedding and honeymoon and the initial excitement of moving, as well as the excitement of college graduation, were all wonderful times! I appreciate having those bright points amidst a year of chaos.
Although, as with every good thing in life, the growth I’ve seen in myself this last year has been hard-won, I am grateful for it. I have learned who I am at this point in my life, I am learning where my passions may point me, and I am learning how to handle my own feelings during times of turmoil. Twenty-two was chaotic, but it was worth it.
Here’s to twenty-three!