Birthday Ruminations

I don't know how it happened, but I've finally reached the final year of my 20s. When I was younger, it always seemed so far away. I always thought I would have more time, but time is the one thing that we always want and lack. Despite this, I can honestly say that I'm quite satisfied with where I am in life. Of course, I thought my 29th year would look a lot different than it does now.

I always imagined myself as a famous writer living in a big city. I would be writing about my adventures or my next novel. I always planned on getting married when I was in my 30s. I wanted to be able to be independent and thought that marrying would change that. I never thought I would meet the right guy. Now that I think about it, my life is sort of right where I thought it would be, but much better. It's funny how God takes what you want but gives you something even better than that. Currently, I'm living in Busan the second biggest city in South Korea. I have a blog where I write about all my wanderings and adventures. I may not be rich and famous, but life really isn't about that is it?

When I was younger, I used to measure happiness by the amount of money or success you had. I thought that if you didn't have either then you would be miserable. As I've gotten older, I realized that yes, we do need a certain amount of money to survive, but having heaps of money isn't everything. Happiness is so much more than material things and the size of your bank account.  It's about the people you have in your life and the memories you make with them.

Whether it's family or friends, people are always coming and going. It's a sad fact of life that the people you think will always be there are the ones that disappoint you the most. You think that because you are family or close friends, you can always rely on them. People are people regardless of who they are. The ones that do stay, they're the ones that matter. They stick with you even when you move across the world, read your blog, Skype you once a week and encourage you when you're at your lowest. Those people are the ones that you can count on. They're the ones that will be with you forever and that's all you need.  In the past 29 years of my life, I've met some incredible and amazing people.

So in this final year of my 20s, I have a lot to accomplish. Markus and I will be living out our last year in Korea. We'll be moving back to America, finding real jobs and starting a family. To be honest, I'm terrified. The thought of finally settling down is scary. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to live out my dreams. The past 15 months in Korea have been life changing. I think that moving halfway across the world was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made. It's opened my eyes to things I never would've known or seen. We tend to box ourselves, keep ourselves secured in our own little world. I don't ever want to live like that again. 

I've learned so much about myself and other people. I've learned that it's okay to be myself. I don't have to be what other people expect me to be or what they think I should be. I've learned that even if you don't speak the same language as someone, they're still willing to make a connection because that's what life is about right? It's about making connections and learning from others. Finally, I've learned that there is nothing more powerful than loving people. There is nothing that can penetrate people's barriers more than love. 

I hope that in the next 29 years of my life I can still continue to learn and grow. I hope to continue loving on people and having grand adventures. Here's to 29 years gone and for the years to come.