Next week, I’ll be turning twenty-seven, which means I can officially kiss my mid-twenties goodbye. Yep, you heard it here first, I’m getting old. In light of my unwarranted promotion to the late-twenties club, I have been reminiscing on twenty-six.
Twenty-six wasn’t a particularly good year, but it wasn’t terrible, either. It’s kinda like turning nineteen— the awkward years between milestone birthdays.
You would think by twenty-six you would have it all figured out. I certainly thought I would. Had you asked me at eighteen, I would have been certain that I would be married with two babies by now. We kinda did everything backwards though, we moved in together after a year and half of dating— jumping from city to city— only to end up back in our hometown, living separately, saving money. Instead of having my own home, I am living rent-free at my parents’ house, trying to get a handle on my credit card debt that I accumulated in my early-twenties. At first, I was embarrassed, but now I just kinda own it— I’m paying for my past (literally) and saving for my future. It’s funny how life works that way.
I like to think that your twenties are for figuring things out— your career, your relationships, yourself. It’s almost like a trial and error period. I have a solid career that I absolutely love, but I don’t have a huge savings account to show for it. I have cut out toxic relationships and focused on a handful of really great ones. I became more of a homebody at twenty-six, which has taken a toll on my social life, but has given me time to really focus on myself. Twenty-six has felt lonely at times, and soul-bursting happy at others. There have been high highs and low lows. That, my friends, is life.
By twenty-six, I had a pretty good grasp on who I am, an appreciation of where I’ve been and an understanding of where I want to be. But, I still don’t have it all figured out, and that’s okay.
Here’s to hoping twenty-seven brings more stability, financial responsibility, good health, unconditional love, lots of travels, belly laughs and a big move to a new city.
Photography by Arabela Espinoza
Yes our twenties are for learning and experiencing, so let’s look forward to our thirties when we got it all figured out… For the most part ????
I’m right there with ya, Cecilia 🙂