My 25

Back in September I read an inspiring blog post by another 20-something about her “25”; I thought I would do something similar for my 25th birthday.

I’ve always been a bit of a birthday nut. From the time I was a little girl, I would plan my birthday parties and pick out the perfect image for my Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Being that I’m born on Valentine’s Day, I have always ensured that all the plans were done well in advance (I may or may not be a bit too Type A when it comes to planning). This has continued into my 20’s, and when Ryan and I decided to travel South America over my birthday, I knew that I wanted to do something special. Last time we traveled long term, I tried to convince my parents to come visit, but they weren’t having any of it. Clearly they missed me enough last time and I sold them on the Galápagos Islands. After doing my research, I was certain they would like this remote location, and I can say with utmost certainty that we all fell in love with the islands.

So what is my “25”? My day began with a short boat trip over to an island made up of “aa” volcanic lava, which is now the nesting area for the giant Galapagos land lizards. It also happens to be nesting season right now, so we had the pleasure of seeing hundreds (I kid you not) of giant, pregnant female lizards shuffling along the lava in search of the perfect place to dig a hole and lay their eggs. We came across a few who were trying to create nests on the path we were walking on, and they stared up at us menacingly, nodding their heads up and down in hopes of scaring us off. We followed Juan Carlos, zig zagging across the island, dodging the giant lizards, learning about their unique mating and nesting rituals. Despite being unfortunately ugly and repulsive, these creatures are fairly interesting. From there, we took another short boat ride to a shallow bay where we went snorkeling. We saw a giant sting ray, as well as a white tipped reef shark. It was an amazing way to spend the morning of my birthday. After lunch, we took a boat from Isabela back to Santa Cruz, where I spent my time finishing book, having a cry over the card that Courtney had my parents deliver to me (we really need to stop doing that to each other!), and napping. After settling back in in Santa Cruz, we biked to the Charles Darwin Research Station to see where all the magic off the Galapagos began. We watched the sunset one last time, and toasted to my birthday with a few too many mojitos! It was a pretty perfect day, and it was incredibly special to spend this birthday with Ryan and my parents in such an amazing place.

More than just how I spent my 25th birthday, my “25” is how I have chosen to live my life, and how I will continue to live my life in the following years. While going to school, all of our paths were the same; elementary, junior, and then high school. In my world, university was always a given, but then what next? Find my dream job, get married, have children? If you would have asked me as an early teenager, I probably would have said that this is exactly where my life was headed. Being 25 seemed so distant, mature, and old, yet now that I have reached this milestone, I feel more so now than ever that my path is more of a squiggle than a straight line. I still put my feet on far too many things, I eat far too much junk food, and I have probably cried over one too many stupid things in the past year to be 25. As a teenager, I believed that 25 was a new car, owning my own house, and working towards a career while wearing a pencil skirt and carrying some fancy leather lap top bag. For many of my friends and family, this was, is, or will be their 25, and that is fine. For some, 25 is getting engaged, getting married, or perhaps having a first, second, or third child. That is also fine. But for me, my 25 is quitting my job, selling my stuff, and setting off in search of something more. I’m pursuing a dream that for many may seem unreachable. My 25 is getting lost in a new city, sleeping in a room with 2 too many people, eating some incredibly delicious food, and eating some terrible food. My 25 is learning to communicate with my hands, and meeting people who are entirely different than me and enjoying a quality conversation with them. My 25 is the same pair of pants everyday for too many days. My 25 is seeing unimaginable landscapes, and experiencing something new everyday. And even if my 25 is different than yours, that is okay, because it is mine. Adults always tell children how difficult school is, but they never tell us how hard life is when we don’t have school to steer our way. School is easy; life is the hard part. Regardless of where you are or what you are doing, and regardless if you are 22 or 30, make it yours. You only get one 25, make sure you enjoy it as much I’m enjoying mine!