Twenty-five seems a lifetime away.
(Let’s face it, I have no time during the week for posting while I’m working…so you’ll just have to wait until the weekend to be blessed with my blogging.)
I got this idea from Aimee at Greeblemonkey, who has managed to become a finalist over at the 2008 Bloggies for Best Kept Secret Weblog.
5 Things I Never Pictured in My Future When I Was 25 Years Old. I turned 25 on April 9, 2001 – engaged, about to start my job as an administrative assistant at the medical device manufacturer soon.
1. That I would be handed a pre-diabetes diagnosis in June 2001, followed by the full-blown type 2 diabetes diagnosis in March 2005. I was struggling with my weight and body image, but I couldn’t have imagined that it was going to cause me health problems in my twenties.
2. That I would have the worst depressive episode of my life in fall 2002, just months after our wedding. Social anxiety overwhelmed me all the time at work (especially on the phone), not to mention I was dissatisfied with being a secretary (yeah, that was my job title – sigh). Although I partially recovered after a few months, I don’t think I really came out of this dark period until I started eating healthier and exercising regularly in the spring and summer of 2005.
3. That I would train for and participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I followed through on something special in June 2006. Even though I’m disappointed that I didn’t finish the second day (and that there are questions about the Avon Foundation’s non-profit status), I’m glad I did this. It was good for my physical and emotional health.
4. That I would eventually make a little money writing. Nearly three years out of college, I had given up on my dreams of becoming a famous novelist. I didn’t even put my name in the hat when an entry-level editing position became available at the medical device manufacturer in early 2002. I was “lost” for a few years with the depressive episode and eventual health problems, trying to find my niche. It didn’t end up being nursing or accounting, it ended up being writing (with a new focus) after all.
5. That 9/11 would happen and George W. Bush would be re-elected. Argh! (Less than a year from a new president, right?)
I know some of my readers haven’t hit 30…or even 25 yet, but for those who have…what has surprised you since your 25-year-old self?
Respond to me here or on your own blog.
Posted on January 26, 2008, in Anxiety, Diabetes, Fitness, Politics, Writing. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
Weekends are good! I can’t comment on your question – - – way beyond 30…
OH, Colleen, you can. Did I say something wrong, I meant that those over 30 can so obviously answer this so much better than those under. (I mean, I’m nearly 32 after all!)
Let’s put it this way…I’m going to be 26 in less than 2 weeks, so I think I can answer this question. :)
What has surprised me about my 25-year-old self is how self-sufficient and lonely I can feel at the same time. That I’m still not sure what direction life is taking me, but I’m trying to enjoy the ride. And what really surprised me was that I didn’t expect to move out of Delaware so soon!
If you asked me 5 years ago, when I was 20, where I would be when I was 25, I probably wouldn’t have known. I probably would have said that I’d be married to Matt, and that I’d have a job I really liked.
I wouldn’t have known that I’d be leaving that job I really liked. I wouldn’t have known that I’d start taking my diabetes more seriously and writing a blog about it. I wouldn’t have even thought that I’d be a part of a poetry slam team that went to nationals. I wouldn’t have guessed that I’d be on anti-depressants. And I would never have guessed that my favorite uncle would be diagnosed with AIDS.
So much can change in such a short amount of a lifetime. Here’s to putting 25 behind me, and here’s to hanging onto the good memories.
Things that if you told me at 25 I would have thought were ridiculous:
1) that I would give up travelling/living abroad and try to have a proper career (10 years of boring office jobs)
2) that I would own a horse for 9 years – paid for by my supposed career – and win showjumping competitions!!
3) that I wouldn’t meet the Mr. Right for at least 10 years and counting
4) that I would give up the stupid career after 10 years and go travelling!!
5) that I would take up snowboarding and chase the snow around the world
6) that I would move to Japan and have some of the best times of my life now I’m 38
7) that I would take up skateboarding to keep me going during the summer without snowboarding
8) that I might be a snowboarding instructor this time next year
9) that I would have a boyfriend 10 years younger than me…
10) that I would break so many darn bones playing extreme sports but that they would mend OK
11) that I would be a tough old bird but keep a soft heart
Noone can foretell the future. Never give up because things change so much in ways we could never have dreamed…age is just a number we use to scare small children.