What Now?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've signed up for Shimelle's online journaling class for scrapbookers and bloggers. The first prompt was sent out this morning and wowza! Talk about inspiring. 10 pages of wonderful words, useful tips, stunning scrapbook pages and (of course) some recommended topics to journal. Prompt #1 was all about questions and answers. We were challenged to think about questions in our lives - random questions we get asked by strangers, questions we have about upcoming decisions in our lives, questions we definitely don't have answers to, questions we definitely do have answers to.

I was inspired by the question, "... what now?"

So inspired, in fact, that I wrote three full pages (single spaced!) in my notebook trying to answer it. I've decided not to share everything I wrote because some of it is pretty personal and not words I want posted on the world wide web for all to read. But I will share a few snippets with you.

Dear Self,

In case it's slipped your mind, you'll be turning 25 in May. You may wonder why I'm bringing this to your attention, but something funny happens when you hit the big 2-5. You suddenly shift from being "in your early twenties" to being "mid-twenty". Soon, when you fill out those annoying questionnaires that ask you a bunch of personal questions about your life, you'll have to check the "25 to 30" age group box instead of the "18 to 24" one. You know what that means, don't you? It means you're supposed to have more in common with thirty year-olds than you do with eighteen year-olds. It means you're taking one big step closer to an established career and marriage and babies and in-laws and home ownership and one big step away from slumber parties and university life and Saturdays spent perusing the shopping mall. Or so they say.

For the longest time (as in, up until about ten minutes ago) you were sure that you'd breeze into the 25 to 30 clique with a "just married" banner floating above your head and a hella-gorgeous diamond on your finger. Hate to break it to you, kid, but that is not gonna happen. You can add young bride to the list of things you'll never be ... just squeeze it in there, somewhere between Olympic figure skating champion and millionaire by the age of twenty.

It's OK, though. I mean, don't panic or anything.

Being twenty-five (or almost) and not being married (as you were so sure you'd be) leads you to one resounding question: ..... what now? And, luckily for you, the answers to that question are pretty limitless. The sky's the limit. Carpe diem.

You could go back to school and study art history. Or you could travel and live abroad - Paris, London, maybe even Rome. (Although Rome would be tricky, since you don't speak a lick of Italian). You could open your own business or you could go to Bible college or you could just join the marines - which, ya know, is never gonna happen but hey! You could do it.

Or you could stay right here, right where you are ... in this apartment, in this job, in this pleasant little bubble of twenty-something bliss. You could focus on indulging in things that interest you. You could go to museums and galleries and the opera and watch old black and white movies on rainy Vancouver afternoons. You could go to football games and go hiking and take up cross-country skiing. You could treat yourself to brunch at that adorable French cafe on 12th Ave and take yourself dancing on a Saturday night. You could be you. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, what now? Now, the focus shifts from looking forward to being introduced to your future husband to looking forward to being introduced to your self. Now you play. Now you learn. Now you grow. Enjoy 25 ... enjoy it simply because you deserve to enjoy it.

xox