I find the ageing process to be somewhat of a privilege. In my early twenties, I used to dread my birthday. Another year older meant that I was becoming an adult and I didn’t want the responsibility of growing up. I absolutely wanted to stay at the ripe age of 19-years-old forever. Looking back, when I was 19-years-old I was the most carefree and excited. I was just beginning my career, I had learnt to drive, my friends were amazing and I was able to see so much of the world.
However, a couple of years ago, I had to accompany my grandma to a cancer specialist hospital on a daily basis for almost three months while she underwent radiotherapy. Going somewhere like that makes you realise how much of an absolute privilege growing older is and unfortunately not everybody gets to enjoy their next birthday. With that in mind, I want to share more with you about turning 26 and how I feel.
Turning 26 really did fill me with worry. Even in the build-up to my birthday, I was just super nervous about it. I can remember feeling a similar way last year. At the time, I was a newlywed and a new homeowner, I was riding high. So my birthday seemed to take a little bit of a backstep. I guess the thing that really hit me for the first time this year is that I am a fully-fledged adult. Things are only going to get harder and more serious from this point on.
I had some people around at my house the other week and something just hit me like a tonne of bricks. We had just a small get-together before my birthday to celebrate me turning 26. I had some family and a couple of our friends there. It just made me realise that this was my life. I’m married, we own our dream home, my ideal car is on the driveway. Plus, so many of our friends and family who are our age have children that we absolutely adore and it sent me into a panic about starting our own family one day soon.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t heavily breathing into a brown paper bag or anything like that, but it just made me feel so grown up. I feel like I grew very quickly. Done were the days of clubbing and staying out all night. A crazy night may happen still every now and again. I had found myself settled into an incredibly domesticated life. I absolutely do not miss the old days of going out all night long and tottering around in skyscraper heels and getting blisters on my feet and horrendous hangovers, but I just cannot remember when I got to be so grown up.
As I said, growing older is a privilege that few too many people do not get the privilege of and I know that I am in such a fortunate situation to be at this point in my life where I am incredibly content with every single aspect of my work, social and personal life. 26 for me, just seems to be such a hurdle for me and I have to sit and wonder what the next few years of my life will have in store for me. I will do another post this time next year. I will let you know if I am stressing out about turning 27!
