Originally posted October 26, 2021
My dad just turned 50 in September and now I’m turning 25 this month. It was interesting talking to my parents about getting older because everyone asks things like, “How does it feel? Do you feel old?” But do you ever really feel magically different on your birthday?
All of my birthdays until now have had a fun getting older connotation. 16th birthday is SWEET, 18th = Independence, 21st = MORE independence… 25? Quarter-life Crisis?
Are you married yet? Have kids? Have your dream career? Have the degree you want? Have a degree that makes you money? Makes you happy? Have you bought a house yet? And the list goes on…
25 seems to be the tipping point in your 20s where you feel like, “I should have done something by now, right?” It’s hard not to put a lot of stake in all the things I think I should have already done by now! It’s so much easier to romanticize the future. I know I spend so much time in my head thinking about what I wish I could do. I’m sure someday it will be easier for me to romanticize the past but especially after this year that has brought so much and taken so much away, I don’t want to spend my 25th birthday fantasizing about my 30 things to do by 30. I think there are a some things I’ve done by 25 that are preparing me for 30, 40, 50 and beyond. Even if they aren’t all the things I expected them to be. Goals are great and bucket lists can be fun, but why can’t I live in the abundance of what I already have instead of the deficit of what may never come?
Instead of a bucket list of items I hope to have done by 30. Here’s a done-it list of my
25 things I’ve already done by 25 years old.
- Made something that is mine and I can be proud of.
- Completed an entire video game. (Quarantine lent itself to this)
- Moved across the country by myself… more than once.
- Been in the audience of a talk show.
- Successfully surprised a long distance friend for her birthday!
- Learned to flourish outside of my comfort zone.
- Ridden a horse up a mountain to a waterfall in the Dominican Republic.
- Had hard conversations with people and survived.
- Begun my journey towards setting boundaries and finding peace. (Still a long way to go!)
- Fallen in love with an old friend (and got engaged to him.)
- Started paying attention to my 401K…
- Won bar trivia!
- Learned when it’s okay to walk away.
- Found hobbies that are just for me and not to be monetized!
- Learned to love cooking and that it’s better with a partner. (Even learned to cook ratatouille!)
- Run a 5K! Okay, I walked it..
- Won money at a casino.
- Found a support system and healthy coping mechanisms to self-soothe.
- Been out of the country.
- Sang on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
- Had my wisdom teeth removed.
- Had a YouTube video reach over 1,000 views! (less than 50 views away from 2,000)
- Spoken to celebrities on the street in NYC
- Gone snorkeling.
- Owned a pet! YES! Braden and I got a dog! Which feels almost as big as getting engaged! – His name is Governor, he’s 5 years old and 50 pounds of muscle and love. We feel so blessed to be able to share our love with this sweet boy. Happy Birthday to me!
What’s great about bucket lists is that some of the things can be silly and some can be life altering! I’ve done some fun things with my 25 years so far and I can only imagine what the next 25 have in store. I can’t wait to read my list of 50 then. I don’t want to keep looking forward to what’s beyond today even though I have lots of things to look forward to (like getting married!) But I think what I have most to look forward to is not caring so much about how I’m perceived or how long/extravagant my lists are. It’s easy in my 20s to dream about a life worth living instead of living the life I’m meant to live. That’s my only wish for my 26th year. Let this year be the year I live my life like my “give-a-damn” is broken! Here’s to treating the latter half of my 20s as I would in my 50s! Aware that the sun will rise tomorrow, but giving my all to today.
If you’ve beat 25, what advice would you give to yourself at 25? Would you have made more bucket lists or more done-it lists? Did you have a quarter-life crisis? How did you pivot?
XOXO,
Texas Jess
P.S. – I really love the desktop wallpapers I’ve made to help me organize my files and stay inspired with my upcoming projects and I wanted to share them! If you become a new subscriber to my blog you’ll be getting a special November desktop organizer and wallpaper! Thank you to everyone who is subscribed and keeps up with me, it really means so much!
Jessica Tanner 
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