Quarter Life Crisis

Wow. I am 24. I am an adult. When did that happen? And how do I make it stop?

When I was a little girl looking at my future at the age of about 24, I thought that I would be married to a prince and living happily ever after with him and our 10 children. When I was a little older, I thought that I would be playing my flute in the Disney symphony (I will still admit, that idea was the most fun by far). In high school, I thought that I would be graduating from law school at this point and getting a job as an awesome lawyer with a super hot doctor boyfriend.

Fantasies are so much better than reality, right?

No prince, no symphony, no law school. I am still in college working towards my bachelor's degree, working at a movie theatre, living alone, completely single.

I miss being a little girl. Having all of those dreams and knowing that any of them are possible. I could fantasize about where my life would go and who I would become. I could make a smile and possibility out of any situation. Working with kids now has really re-opened doors back up to my past and imagination. I wish that I still had that innocence. I cannot begin to tell you how much I miss it.

Reality isn't that bad though. Neither is getting older. With age comes much wisdom. I am finally finding who I really am as a person. There is no way that I could get to any goal or dream of mine if I did not know who I am. It makes me so glad that I know what I want. I look at things differently now. I take moments in, enjoy the small things in life. I am able to look at situations rationally and from other perspectives.

It is okay that I am still in school. Hell, the fact that I still am in school is a great thing! There are so many people that I know that have not gone to school, and that not would have gone to school if they were in my shoes. I am so proud of myself for continuing forward with this and reaching my goal. I have finally come to terms with the fact that I will be graduating college at the age of 25. Later than what I had planned, but I am still doing it. I will be graduating with a degree that I love and will be able to pursue a career that I will be happy in.

I am completely independent. I have my own apartment. I pay for all of my own bills. I pay for all of my leisure activities. I do all of that by maintaining a full time job. Not a ton of 24 year olds can say that they do that completely independently. That is something to account for.

I may not have reached all of the goals in my life that I had thought I would by this time. I am happy though with how I have dealt with life's curve balls. I never expected for my life to turn out like this. That is something I have learned with age, it never happens how you want. It really is how you deal with life that makes you the person.

I am getting over this quarter life crisis. Happy that I am who I am today. Every moment has lead up to me as a person. I will continue to grow and change. I look forward to it. I am welcoming the age, for it brings wisdom, new experiences, and change.

Here is to my 24th year... hoping it brings happiness.