As the creep into September begins (already began!), we are transitioned out of summer and into a new season of orange and brown, or plums and greys if you’re fashion savvy. The bathing suit that arrived the day after the 90F heatwave, and now hangs in my closet regrettably waiting for “one more day” because the leaves go.
While it seems like the rest of the world is all “back to school” and “back from vacation” (and well technically, I am too) when September creeps in, I am reminded of me. It always catches me off-guard when people start wishing me a happy birthday, days before its arrival. I don’t usually remember or even plan for it, but it still comes around. This year is a little special because I am saying goodbye to my 20’s. When I started the blog, I was at the peak of this fabulous decade, and blissfully lived in denial that I would never reach this moment.
In fact, you may remember from my past birthday posts, how I wrote about all my upcoming hopes, dreams, and goals for the year, etc…whereas for this post I am ill-prepared to do so. In fact for this decade, I am lacking ideas in the goals, hopes, and planning department.
When I was young, I had expectations about how my life would be and all the things I would accomplish: finish college, buying a home, travel to every continent in the world, executive-level career, etc…the problem is, I imagined that I would do all these things in my roaring 20’s. In hindsight, I know that is highly unlikely to reach such goals at a young age, not to mention that some of my goals have changed. I have to admit, even my move to Europe was part of an effort to live a dream that I had for many years, and wanted to do it while still “young”, “vibrant”, “creative”, and “free”. Though, I had plenty of days where I did not feel like that, and looking back at this eclipsed decade, there are some things I wish I did differently, but I’ve taken the time to learn from those mistakes and make improvements. Hopefully, that wisdom will show in this next stage.
So what are the thirties going to look like? Well, if history tells us anything, it was a time of economic depression, rising nationalism, and ended with the outbreak of violent conflict. Yep, just the way I see the next ten years: flat broke, kicked out of the U.K, and a bloody end to it all in a pub. However, I can look forward to a new career path, more stamps on my passport, and experiencing good wine; all of which will bring new experiences.
And while I do have a few immediate goals, like finishing this postgraduate degree, and squeezing in a trip to southern Europe before it gets too cold to test out the new swimsuit, I have largely dismissed and ignored societal pressures to conform or reach certain “life-changing indicators”. Depending on your perspective, you can interpret that any way you want, either I’ve matured enough and feel confident of who I am as a person or I have completely devolved in character and given up on life. But I’m keeping the glass half-full tonight.
Of cider.
Happy Birthday to my fellow Virgos, and if you have written a birthday post, let me know so I can visit and share it!
