Nobody likes you when you're 23?

This Friday is my twenty-third birthday. It feels insane to say that. I know to most of you 23 doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but for me it’s been something I’ve been avoiding. You see, to me, 23 means I need to get my shit together. Think about it, your twenty-first birthday is pretty much an excuse to get blackout drunk for an entire year and blame it on “being 21”. Twenty-two is just an extended year of what you were already doing while you were twenty-one. But at twenty-three I always thought I’d have some kind of idea as to where my life was going. So am I stalling out? Am I not on the right path?

I spent most of my twenty-second year trying to figure things out, and I learned a lot about myself. I learned that shitty things happen to good people. I learned that no matter how hard I try, I can’t help people who don’t want it. I learned what it felt like to get your heart crushed. I learned that I am stronger than I thought, that I care more about my select group of friends than I do most things and that the little things are what make life worth while. I realized I want so much out of life, but I also realized I’m perfectly happy with where I am.

Your twenties are meant for discovering new places, falling in and out of love and learning more about yourself than you’d ever imagine, and I intend on doing all of the above. So here’s to hoping that Blink 182 got it all wrong when they said nobody likes you when you’re 23. Because I’m kind of excited to see what twenty-three has up its sleeve for me.

See ya 22, it’s been real.

xx