I've been in Spain for almost 3 months now and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I wake up every day feeling like this is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now, and feeling so thankful that I'm here. I came across
this article the other day, and while it's a bit
racy bold, I think the bottom line is spot-on. Being on the other side of 25 really gets to me sometimes, and there are days when I find myself wanting to grow up so fast. I need to remind myself to take advantage of being in my 20s and to just slow down sometimes. I've still got a few years left before the big 3-0, and I plan on making the most of it!
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| montana, cerca 2010 |
Why Being In Your 20s Is Awesome
MAR.
22, 2012
I know I
talk crap on being a twentysomething but I’m only half-kidding. In actuality,
there’s no age I’d rather be. (Besides maybe seven years old because they don’t
do anything besides eat ice cream and poop themselves. That sounds like an
ideal life to be completely honest.)
Being in
your twenties is all about discovering which things hurt you and what makes you
feel good. You go in blindly, practically pricking yourself with a dull blade,
and then you walk out with tougher skin. One day you’ll stop pricking yourself
altogether. Maybe. I don’t know. How would I? I’m just a twentysomething,
remember?
This is
what your twenties are for — to feel and see as much as you can, to take
advantage of not being tied down to anything and anyone and to go balls to the
wall with everything that you do. You’re a raw nerve. You hate getting upset
over little things, about being constantly unraveled by ignored text messages,
parents, grades, and friends, but you have to remember something: you don’t
know yourself entirely yet. Before the age of 20, you were mostly under your
parents care, a reflection of what was going on around you. You didn’t have the
option to make your own choices. You were merely living the life someone set
out for you. Being in your twenties allows you to start carving out the
life you want for yourself. Everything is on your terms now which seems
daunting but is actually liberating. For the first time in your life you’re the
boss.
It’s
important to talk about why your twenties are great because it seems like we
spend so much of our time wanting to be somewhere else other than where we are.
Think about it. Why the hell are we in such a hurry to live some boring grown
up adult life that we saw at a Crate & Barrel? Because once we do get
there, we’re stuck for a long time. The novelty’s going to wear off, we’re
going to get married and have babies, and everything will be amazing but don’t
think for a second that you won’t be nostalgic for this time. Don’t think for a
second that you’re not going to miss those nights you spent putting on your
make up, changing five million times, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes out
your apartment window, and going to some silly party, a party that feels like
all the others you’ve been to but still has the right to feel special. You will
miss all of this. This is a luxury. It’s going to leave us eventually so you
better freaking enjoy it. You better enjoy every lame ass party, every awkward
kiss, every 5 AM hangover, every drug experience, every crappy apartment,
because one day it will all be gone and you’ll just be left with the pictures
and the bruises and nothing else. Youth is fu**ing magic. Don’t you get it? Look
at your skin! Touch it. Look at your smooth legs and stomach. Grab it. When
you’re older, you’ll want all of this again so bad. You’ll possibly spend so
much money to get some semblance of it back. Now it’s yours for free.
We’re not
stuck. Even if it feels like we are, it’s not true. We’re the opposite of
stuck. As twentysomethings, we’re constantly moving — apartments, relationship,
cities, jobs. Anything is possible. People are ready for you. They want to hear
what you have to say. They look at you and are curious about what words are
going to come out of your mouth. You’re the new generation. What do you have to
say? Don’t bite your tongue. One day you’ll be pushed aside for a younger
“fresher” perspective so you better get it out now. Make a mark. Make a stain.
Make something.
I want to remember the fear, I want to remember the promise, I
want to remember the nights I wanted to curl up in a ball, I want to remember
the people I’m not supposed to remember, I want to remember not knowing myself,
I want to remember the moment I started to feel safe and like this life I’m
leading is really mine. I’m going to be scared, I’m going to bruise my knees
and not know how they got there, I’m going to try to fruitlessly forge a
connection with someone who won’t ever get it, I’m going to lose the person
that means the most to me and find my way back to them. I’m going to be a
twentysomething because that’s what I am and all I know how to be. And
you should too. You should love every single moment of this hot mess of a
decade. Chances are you’ll miss it before you even get to say “I’m 30.”
