It's my birthday

So, today is my birthday. I'm turning 25 today. It feels odd... Normally, on birthdays, I feel the same as any other day, but today I feel like something inside me is changing. Like, after 25, you are a full fledged adult. I know it is a little late for me to realize that I am an adult now, but hey, better late than never.

The world is kind of heavy at 25. I am moving to Tennessee within a month or two to start earning my masters degree at Vanderbilt. Aspen is coming with me, but other than that I will be starting a brand new life. I will have my own apartment, which feels very grown up, and I will be responsible not just for taking care of myself but for taking care of Aspen, too. I bought myself a new computer last weekend... first time I have ever done that for myself. I kinda like being grown up, I just really don't want to fuck up-financially, academically, or emotionally.

I have learned somethings in my 25th year of life. Break-ups are so so hard, but when relationships end it is almost always for the best, and I don't have to be in control of whether or not someone wants to stay in a relationship with me. That's a hard one to grasp. At least for me. I've learned that it is okay to be selfish sometimes. I've learned that money in the bank doesn't mean money that I can spend. I've learned that making time to spend with my friends is important for my happiness and my friends' happiness. I've learned that exercising really does make me happier and that eating healthier makes me feel more comfortable. I've learned that loving people the way that they are is much more valuable than trying to help them change.

This coming year is going to be a year where I work on saying things that are hard to say, when they need to be said, instead of avoiding them. It is going to be a year of financial responsibility. It is going to be a year of exploration and of new friendships and of independence.

I'm so looking forward to this next year of life. Bring it on.