Twenty-six

Today I turn twenty-six years old.

Birthdays as an adult seem far less important than when I was a child. Of course, as a child, I was hitting milestones and fun ages like one, five, ten, thirteen, sixteen, eighteen, and twenty-one. After turning twenty-one, my birthdays seemed less important. Not to say that my birthdays are unimportant, but that there is not as much to celebrate it seems. I was growing up and less self-centered, so I was not expecting many gifts, if any, and it just seemed like another day.

After I turned twenty-five last year, I was not excited for my birthday. I felt old. Now, I know that twenty-five is in no way “old”, but I felt like more of an adult and less than a child. I also realized that I was still living at home and was nowhere close to living on my own yet and being independent.

That hit me hard. I was twenty-five years old and still financially dependent on my parents. This is not how I imagined things. Then again, neither did any other person my age. All of my friends are also still living at home with their parents. Times are hard financially. I accept that I am no alone in this predicament.

As I turn twenty-six today, I stop judging myself for what life has thrown at me and the finical situation that I am in. Instead, I accept the way things are, and see what I can do to slowly work on changing them.

Turning twenty-six does not feel old to me as when I had turned twenty-five. Instead, I simply accept it for what it is and celebrate a new year of life.