Well, my 21st is just under a month away and I’m really hoping I’ll be able to turn up. But, as I anticipate the future, I can’t help but the reminisce on the past. Here are four things to consider if you’re in the same boat:
1: The obvious, how much have I changed? Where did you start? What do you consider the start? Questions like these help me zero-in on a point or year in my life that I became just a little more aware of my state of being, thinking, and feeling. Up until 9th grade, I didn’t really have a firm grasp on the concept of consequences, and even now, I acknowledge, I do be slippin’. However, I’d be careless if I didn’t stop to take some time to pat myself on the back. How much have you changed? Why is your “start” the one it is? And what can you do to keep momentum or improve?
2: What was your favorite part? I know that the most common response to this is something like “Oh, things were just so much simpler. So easy… I miss the lack of responsibilities…” but honestly? I quite like having given myself some sense of purpose. Though it is not always rainbows and glitter, being an “adult” gives me the ability to create my own environment, stability, and sometimes experiences. My favorite parts of the past are each little moments that I get to carry with me: that one year when all we did was go to the beach, walking home from school in snow (Colorado), and playing with Littlest Pet Shop dolls with an obsessive pre-teen who wouldn’t even let me hold the newer ones. There are memories that I can use a foundation for where I wanna go.
3: What was your LEAST favorite part? Yes. Least. What was it and why? It doesn’t have to meet any kind of criteria, but just think about it. If you could change it, would you? Who would you be without it, and what would you have missed out on?
4: What is it giving? What’s the overall vibe? If you could give the past an album title, what would it be? Personally, I’d say “Thriving.” It may be a bit basic, but there’s definitely an inside joke here! As a mini project, maybe find yourself an album cover. Write a journal entry. I don’t know, something to express an overall of what was and how you feel about it.
The past may not be perfect, but as I ascend into my 21st level, I am grateful to have come this far.
HCXO