26 years young

The title of this blog is an honest opinion of how I feel about turning 26.

Last year 25 seemed big, old, and scary to me. But this year I feel better about life than I think I ever have, and that is an accomplishment given where I was a year ago.

I didn't want to celebrate 25. I knew 25 was a going to be a life changing year and I was so fearful of the fluidness of my life that I wanted to stand still in the hopelessness of 24.

Why did 25 feel so big? Maybe I expected more of myself at this age.  I had goals for 24 that I wasn't even close to achieving. Birthdays are for celebrating the amazing year that has passed by, and all that you accomplished. And so, when year 24 brought turmoil,  confusion, and gigantic questions of what I wanted out of life, it seemed to me that I had gone backwards in year 24.

Every year to that point had been bigger and better than the year before. I done more, accomplished something and learned a lot about myself. When I got to the week before my 25th birthday and looked back at 24 it seemed I had accomplished and learned nothing.

In reality, year 24 taught me a great deal about myself and what I wanted out of life. I think back to the text message I got from my friend back when I was 21 and debating if this teaching thing was really for me. "A tree doesn't grow without a great deal of rainfall." 24 was the year of thunderstorms, and 25 was my year to grow into the strong tree I am meant to be.

I have a student who always smells the pages of a book before she reads them. At first I thought it was strange and then I thought it was sweet. Now I understand the way she desires to enjoy every single part of that book. This is what I want for year 26.

Welcome 26! I am excited to see what you have to offer me. Another year in Montenegro, a trip to Turkey, my parents finally seeing me in perpetual happiness, 6 weeks of straight travel, checking off a top 5 country, a Christmas at home, new friends, stronger relationships, and (hopefully) some serious life lessons.

Another blog about year 25.