Life passes us by so fast sometimes that we don’t even notice. I graduated high school in 2013 ready to “face life” or so I thought. I decided to take a year off college and SIX years later, here I am ready to graduate. After graduating high school all I was looking forward to was my twenty-first birthday and feeling like a “real adult” because no one could tell me I couldn’t do things anymore, it felt like the final threshold.
After turning 21, I wasn’t in a rush to do anything; I was just enjoying college and life trying not to stress about the future. Somehow the last four years flew by and now I’m 25 turning 26 this year. When I tell people how old I am they are typically shocked and think that I’m joking. When I was in high school, I always thought by 25 I’d be more ‘settled down’ and feel a lot older. I figured I’d be super mature, already graduated with a job, have a healthy relationship, travel… I had so many ideas and ways I thought my life was going to turn out.
I learned fast that life just doesn’t work that way. Unless you have the drive and focus of a superhuman and know exactly what you want to do by 18, then most of the goals set for ourselves when we’re young are impossible. I had to learn fast that I couldn’t be hard on myself when things didn’t go as planned because they never do. I had mental health issues, relationship issues, financial issues, and all the other issues that you can probably think of.
I feel like I just turned 21 a month ago and thinking about the time that has passed is crazy. Some days I feel like I should have more accomplished and other days I know that it’s okay to not have everything figured out. Some days I feel mature and accomplished and other days I feel young and childish. My birthdays are different now as well, they just feel like a regular unimportant day and just make me feel old.
I’ve started noticing changes in my body, like needing to eat healthier or be more active. I get sore so much easier; I feel like I’m always complaining about it. I can’t even imagine what it’ll feel like tennyears from now. My family has also been a huge pressure point in me “growing up.” My family’s constantly pointing out my weight, my two extra years of college, my still undecided career path, and my lack of healthy romantic relationships.
It’s easy to get lost under all the weight of our late teens and twenties without outside input. I would love to give some solid advice to students, but everyone’s situations are so different, so I just have a few pointers:
- Its OKAY to not know what you want to do and take things one day at a time.
- Don’t let your family or outside sources pressure you or make you feel any less than you are.
- It’s going to be a lot of hard work and disappointment, so be prepared, but don’t always expect the worst, its okay to have hope.
- Don’t compare your life to others your age, everyone is doing things at their own pace and in different orders.
- No matter how much you plan, things won’t always go your way, try to have more fluid and have less specific plans.
- Don’t forget to have fun! The time really will just fly by.
HCXO, Cassidy