I remember being 7 and not being able to wait until I got to high school.
I remember being 14 and wanting to be a few years older so I could have my license.
I remember being 21 and just eager to finish school so I could "finally" get on with my adult life.
But now, as I turn 25 tomorrow I want nothing. My lack of desire does not come from actually having everything but simply realising all I need is right here with me.
Not too long ago a few friends and I went to dinner and while waiting for them to bring back their food to the table I sat alone for a few minutes and looked around at all the other groups of people eating.
In doing so I was reminded that it was only a few years ago that I would walk home from school while passing by restaurants and see the similar types of people inside, desiring what they had.
Looking at those moments that other people were having meant more than just being seated around a table with a group of friends eating good food, it surfaced my fear of missing out on the good life mixed with my unnecessary need to look like I had it all.
But now, that fear of missing out has disappeared altogether. Now as I turn 25 in a few hours I realise that even though I still miss out on a lot of social events due to work or my personal choice not to attend, even though I don't have it all figured out and there's so much I still want to do, it's all good! I'm all good!
Sometimes it's not always about getting to an over-glorified point in life but just enjoying the now. Yeah, it might sound extremely cliche but who cares? Wherever you're headed in life, trust me, you're gonna get there sooner rather than later if you just stop trying to make the later come sooner. No need to rush towards perfection when you only but realise how everything has been perfectly and uniquely placed all around you: family; friends; career; love; adventure; hobbies; home; whatever.
It's all happening now in ways you don't even know so enjoy it.
PS. To those who have not yet turned 25, I did not write this an ode to the milestone but simply an observation because you don't have to be the same age to realise what I now know: we all have everything we need right before us (it just took me 25 years to finally be aware of that truth). Additionally, to those that are later on in their years, there is no shame in still figuring it all out. Remember, you are a completed work that is still in the process of completion.