Farewell 20's
I read a blog post recently about saying farewell to your 20's and it started the gears in my head. The author of the post reflected on how their 20's weren't what they had thought or hoped they would be when they were 16. I must agree that my 20's were not what I thought they would be when I was 16 either. At 16 I hoped my 20's would be filled with college, and then medical school, followed by a long and grueling residency program. I had no intention of attending BYU, getting married, or starting a family in my 20's. I believed that my 20's were for me, a time to get my ducks in a row before I started my real life in my 30's. As I stand on the eve of my 30's and look back I almost want to chuckle at my young self. If I could have seen the life I lead now I would have cringed, but to be honest it is because my younger self was missing the big picture.
There is a Brad Paisley song called "A Letter to Me" (and yes I have loved Brad Paisley songs in my 20's) that reflects on the ambitions of a 17 year old self, it has a line that says "you'll make new friends, you should see your kids and wife, have no fear these are nowhere near the best years of your life". This line always makes me chuckle (as all good country songs should do).
So as I reflect on my 20's I must admit they turned out better than I could have planned. While my "dreams" changed, they changed for the better. True, things weren't what I thought they would be but I wouldn't have changed them. There was a lot of prayer, fasting, and faith that went into this last decade (and I'm sure the decades to come). Medical school wasnt for me, and let's be honest I never would have gotten in, but a graduate degree in public health was, and that turned out to be a wonderful experience for more than just academic reasons. College in CA wasnt for me either, but BYU, well BYU was where I was supposed to go. And yes there were days that I didn't like Happy Valley, but you better believe I'm teaching these boys the fight song and encouraging them to go someday. And marriage, well as we are about to celebrate our 9th anniversary this month let me just say, that marriage, something I feared and did not want to happen this decade was the best decision I made. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, who let's be honest doesn't get enough credit. He is hardworking, caring, and generally wants our family to be happy, he is probably the best part of my 20's. And those two little boys, my 16 year old self couldn't have imagined the joy (and insanity) that comes daily from being with them. I have been truly blessed this past decade, and nope I wouldn't change it, I won't look back and wish things had been different, things were how they were meant to be. So here's to many decades to come filled will surprises, change of plans, and most of all gratitude for the blessings we have been given.
There is a Brad Paisley song called "A Letter to Me" (and yes I have loved Brad Paisley songs in my 20's) that reflects on the ambitions of a 17 year old self, it has a line that says "you'll make new friends, you should see your kids and wife, have no fear these are nowhere near the best years of your life". This line always makes me chuckle (as all good country songs should do).
So as I reflect on my 20's I must admit they turned out better than I could have planned. While my "dreams" changed, they changed for the better. True, things weren't what I thought they would be but I wouldn't have changed them. There was a lot of prayer, fasting, and faith that went into this last decade (and I'm sure the decades to come). Medical school wasnt for me, and let's be honest I never would have gotten in, but a graduate degree in public health was, and that turned out to be a wonderful experience for more than just academic reasons. College in CA wasnt for me either, but BYU, well BYU was where I was supposed to go. And yes there were days that I didn't like Happy Valley, but you better believe I'm teaching these boys the fight song and encouraging them to go someday. And marriage, well as we are about to celebrate our 9th anniversary this month let me just say, that marriage, something I feared and did not want to happen this decade was the best decision I made. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, who let's be honest doesn't get enough credit. He is hardworking, caring, and generally wants our family to be happy, he is probably the best part of my 20's. And those two little boys, my 16 year old self couldn't have imagined the joy (and insanity) that comes daily from being with them. I have been truly blessed this past decade, and nope I wouldn't change it, I won't look back and wish things had been different, things were how they were meant to be. So here's to many decades to come filled will surprises, change of plans, and most of all gratitude for the blessings we have been given.
Comments
Post a Comment