Hello from quarantine!! This isn’t how I thought I would spend such a big birthday next month on June 19th, but it’s exciting regardless. Worsham and I originally planned to go to San Diego to celebrate, but ended up canceling earlier this month. It is what it is! We’ll make up for it next year with our 5-year anniversary trip to (most likely) the Bahamas. I’ll probably cry of sheer happiness whenever I’m in an airport again. Who would have thought I’d miss the airport so much? I mean, couldn’t you just cry thinking about the people watching, the smell of Schlotsky’s sandwiches, and knowing that you’re about to escape reality for a while? I could.
Anyway, I’m not having a life crisis like I did when I turned 20 (in Geneva, Switzerland, mind you). Honestly, what was my problem? It is weird to think I’m this old, though. I know in the grand scheme of things it’s really not, but 30 just sounds very adult. It makes me laugh thinking about how far away it sounded when 13 Going on 30 came out, which ironically was when I was literally 13.
Here’s what I’ve learned over this last year of my 20s! And here’s to being 30, flirty, and thriving too.
It’s Okay to be Content – This is something that has really hit home for me this year, especially during quarantine. It’s okay to be content with your life, and it’s okay to be OKAY. I think a lot of us tend to get too in our heads about what life could be. We dwell in the future or the past instead of appreciating the present. We think about the “I’ll be happy when…” or “I really should be doing…” or “I was happier back when…”. Whatever it is. Whatever story society and your own insecurities have driven into your head.
It’s okay to appreciate what you have now. For me, I tend to obsess about what I should or could be doing with my career. I should be writing another book. After all, that’s what I went to school for, isn’t it? I should be trying to “make a name for myself” because that’s what successful writers do, isn’t it?
It’s great to have dreams, but when we “should” all over ourselves, we miss out on the good stuff that’s happening. The truth is I actually like my job, and in a world with an insane unemployment rate I’ve never been more grateful for it. I am writing every day, just not in the way I thought I would. I have made a name for myself there – just not on a global, Insta-famous scale.
And that’s okay. It’s okay to appreciate the journey, while also appreciating what could be. Just don’t dwell on anything that isn’t the now for too long. It’s very against everything our society tells us (a society that’s trying to see who can be the most productive during a literal PANDEMIC), but it’s necessary for our mental stability. Just stay appreciative, people.
As I write this, I’m realizing that this really is THE overarching lesson I’ve learned this year. I like doing longer lists, but it isn’t necessary this time. Appreciation is the lesson. It’s relevant to every facet of life.
When it comes to relationships, it can be super easy to take your partner for granted. I think we’re all guilty of it. I mean, they’re always there. We have to stop and remember that they don’t have to be, though. Staying is a choice, and committing to someone long-term is a choice. You have to choose them every day, not just when you get married. Quarantine has been a blessing to my and Worsham’s relationship. We always get along well anyway, but being trapped in this house together has reignited our connection. It can be easy to forget how obsessed you are with someone after this long (8 years), but I think being forced to slow down has really made us remember why we fell in love in the first place.
It’s okay to be happy with your relationship. I know when we read stuff like this it seems obvious, but we don’t always put it into practice. It’s okay to be happy. It’s okay to know you made the right choice, even if your choice hurt someone else from your past. It’s okay to let that go. It’s okay to appreciate what you deserve – the wonderful person who is right in front of you. It’s okay to keep choosing them and loving them.
It’s okay to be content.
That’s what I’ve learned this year, and I’m cool with that. It was an important lesson for the last year of my 20s.
What have you guys learned this year/this quarantine?
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