Today is my last day as a 22 year old and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I feel like 23 sounds a lot older than 22. 23 is 2 years away from 25, which is halfway to 30 - now that's a scary thought. But a lot of GREAT things happened when I was 22, so I can only expect to keep the ball rollin' at 23.
At 22 I got accepted to grad school, graduated college, moved across the country, and got a dog. At 22 I bought my first car, put a down payment on my first big-girl apartment, and mountain biked. At 22 I ran my 2nd marathon, went on a whale watch, and PR'd in my 5k time. I worked on a farm in New Hampshire, lived with Chris for the summer, had an internship at a hospital, ran half of the Boston marathon course, and decided I want to get my PhD. At 22 my parents put my childhood home up for sale, marking the end of an era and my entrance into adulthood - where now my house, not my parent's house, is my "home." At 22 I saw my first rattlesnake, my first moose, and my first glimpse of the beautiful Utah. I went to Wyoming, Nebraska, and Idaho for the first time and truly got to appreciate the beauty of the vast landscape that is the west. I saw my first forest fire and went to Park City. There were a lot of firsts at 22 and I feel like 22 was a year of huge growth for me - not only because I graduated from BU but also because I feel like I finally have a direction in life that I'm excited about. At this point I feel content and satisfied where I am and where I'm going - which makes me really excited for 23.
I'm not sure exactly what 23 holds for me - or how many firsts I'll have. I know Chris and I will be moving in together permanently for the first time. In an apartment that is gorgeous, big, clean, and new...for the first time. This is the first time I've had to decorate a home that doesn't involve plastering my Meb and Molly Huddle posters everywhere with my race numbers and medals. I'll have to learn how to cook properly (lots of kitchen firsts). I'll run my first Utah marathon and probably due my first off-road triathlon.
Like I said, who knows what firsts I'll have this year. Those are the only ones I can think of but I'm sure a year from now my "firsts" list will be even more extensive that my last one. Well, here's one, though. This birthday is the first birthday that I'm not out of my mind excited for - where I wake up the morning of bounding out of bed. I think it's because my friends here are really new and I don't want to expect anything from them as far as birthday fun goes. I find it's best to keep my standards low for birthday things. But I'm really sad Chris wont' be here to share it with me, and even more sad that my BU friends are missing it - I've been missing the team, my work friends, and Julie a lot lately. I haven't had a birthday with my family in years, literally. I think since my senior year of highschool, and that's been getting to me a bit.
I think this is how adults feel about their birthday....because I know that tomorrow I still have to get up, go to the clinic, and get work done for my Tuesday therapy session. I'll have to do reading for my online class and probably do laundry. The world doesn't stop and expectations don't collapse just because it's my day. I really can't even expect people to acknowledge/care because I've only known people here a month. And that's the difference between a kid's view of birthdays and adult's view of birthdays. It'd be quite odd for me to go around announcing to the world it's my birthday...so my plan is to lay low this year, wake up and go for a run and go into clinic. I'll probably treat myself to lunch at Old Grist Mill, buy myself a cake and eat it too :)
love,
22 year old me
At 22 I got accepted to grad school, graduated college, moved across the country, and got a dog. At 22 I bought my first car, put a down payment on my first big-girl apartment, and mountain biked. At 22 I ran my 2nd marathon, went on a whale watch, and PR'd in my 5k time. I worked on a farm in New Hampshire, lived with Chris for the summer, had an internship at a hospital, ran half of the Boston marathon course, and decided I want to get my PhD. At 22 my parents put my childhood home up for sale, marking the end of an era and my entrance into adulthood - where now my house, not my parent's house, is my "home." At 22 I saw my first rattlesnake, my first moose, and my first glimpse of the beautiful Utah. I went to Wyoming, Nebraska, and Idaho for the first time and truly got to appreciate the beauty of the vast landscape that is the west. I saw my first forest fire and went to Park City. There were a lot of firsts at 22 and I feel like 22 was a year of huge growth for me - not only because I graduated from BU but also because I feel like I finally have a direction in life that I'm excited about. At this point I feel content and satisfied where I am and where I'm going - which makes me really excited for 23.
I'm not sure exactly what 23 holds for me - or how many firsts I'll have. I know Chris and I will be moving in together permanently for the first time. In an apartment that is gorgeous, big, clean, and new...for the first time. This is the first time I've had to decorate a home that doesn't involve plastering my Meb and Molly Huddle posters everywhere with my race numbers and medals. I'll have to learn how to cook properly (lots of kitchen firsts). I'll run my first Utah marathon and probably due my first off-road triathlon.
Like I said, who knows what firsts I'll have this year. Those are the only ones I can think of but I'm sure a year from now my "firsts" list will be even more extensive that my last one. Well, here's one, though. This birthday is the first birthday that I'm not out of my mind excited for - where I wake up the morning of bounding out of bed. I think it's because my friends here are really new and I don't want to expect anything from them as far as birthday fun goes. I find it's best to keep my standards low for birthday things. But I'm really sad Chris wont' be here to share it with me, and even more sad that my BU friends are missing it - I've been missing the team, my work friends, and Julie a lot lately. I haven't had a birthday with my family in years, literally. I think since my senior year of highschool, and that's been getting to me a bit.
I think this is how adults feel about their birthday....because I know that tomorrow I still have to get up, go to the clinic, and get work done for my Tuesday therapy session. I'll have to do reading for my online class and probably do laundry. The world doesn't stop and expectations don't collapse just because it's my day. I really can't even expect people to acknowledge/care because I've only known people here a month. And that's the difference between a kid's view of birthdays and adult's view of birthdays. It'd be quite odd for me to go around announcing to the world it's my birthday...so my plan is to lay low this year, wake up and go for a run and go into clinic. I'll probably treat myself to lunch at Old Grist Mill, buy myself a cake and eat it too :)
love,
22 year old me
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