Our twenties are a very important stage of life. We leave adolescence and begin adulthood. We aspire to live independent of our parents and experience rapid transition. We seek romance and try to launch our careers. It's a period of excitement and anxiety. Most things are new to us and our experiences are novel.
When I started blogging six years ago, I quickly became friends with Diana, a 25-year old living in Florida. Diana graduated college but hadn't started her career yet. She was anxious to do so. She was also single.
Today, I met Diana in person for the first time. She's visiting Philadelphia for a convention and I went down there to have lunch with her. It was encouraging. In the past six years, Diana secured employment as a school librarian, earned her Master's Degree, started networking in her field, and gained palpable confidence. She also found romance and got married. Now 31, Diana is a successful woman in the bloom of adulthood. It's gratifying to see how her life has drastically changed in a short period of time.
Diana used to have a fashion-blog. When her career took off, she didn't have enough time to maintain it and created a new blog devoted to her work. Diana didn't close down the old blog and says she might resurrect it if more time becomes available in the future.
How did your life change in your twenties?
Wow, 6 years is a long time to be blogging! Congratulations to you both on that, as well as to Diana on all of her success.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my twenties are still concerned, I'm half way through but I feel like it's still a pretty open book. Anything can happen!
I was thinking of you, Christine, when writing this. You're a good example of a young woman going through this phase. Lot of changes, lots of opportunity. I see that in your life.
DeleteIf I could choose any time in my life to go back and revisit it would be my 20's. What a brilliant time. Partying, living overseas, travelling, doing whatever I wanted, not a care in the world. Without a doubt it was my favourite. {sigh}
ReplyDeleteSo fun to see all of the people you've met through blogging and how long you've maintained contact.
bisous
Suzanne
Plus the physical resilience we have then. You can party all night and not feel destroyed the next day. As we get older, we don't bounce back as well.
DeleteA better question might be how DIDN'T my life change in my 20s? I started them as a college student of course, before transitioning into the Real World in a magazine job and eventually moving on to PR/marketing/communications for the government. I've been with my now-husband since I was 19, but we went from dating to engaged to married. I evolved from drawing on my apartment walls with sidewalk chalk to actually painting and thoughtfully decorating. I went from scrambling fearfully up rock walls in knockoff Chuck Taylors to advancing through climbing grades and using the right gear. And through it all, I've blogged :)
ReplyDeleteI still have three years left in my 20s and I'm really excited to see what they bring!
Great response, Emma. Thanks!
DeleteThis is a very interesting post. Actually life seems to go slower in my country, most of people do not leave their parents' home until they are 30 or more, anyway it's true 20s are such an important moment of our lives, things can change so much in a short lapse of time. Kisses
ReplyDeleteFashion and Cookies - fashion blog
Oh, I loved my 20s. So much fun. Traveling, partying, working in restaurants with awesomely inspiring and creative people, meeting cute new boys and so many friends, and just generally having a good time. I graduated college in my 20s. I met Jim in my 20s and we got married in my 20s. I bought my first house, my first car (with my own money). My life changed a lot in those years. It's so fun to reminisce about those years. Of course, there are things I would probably do differently, in hindsight, but that's true of every decade! Thanks for this post. It was fun to read and fun to remember. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy 20s aren't something I'd willingly go back to except to see my mom in person again. During my 20s, I got married and divorced, my mom died, I was working jobs that sucked the life out of me, and I was floundering in and out of anxiety and depression. I won't say it was all bad; I met my now-husband when I was 24, and I had (still have) the same wonderful friends. But it's not necessarily a decade I look back on fondly, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteMy 30s, however, are freakin' incredible!!! I turn 35 this year, as you know, and I love my life. My husband, my beautiful daughter, having my own business, my pets, and a newfound sense of self all add up to a much better time of life. And I'm so thankful you're a part of that.
Everything changed in my 20s... it's incredible, that sense of freedom/independence I had all at once and it was nice to be reminded of this once more. Never a dull moment and I'm grateful I had the chance to do a semester abroad, to backpack Europe, to gain valuable life experiences... Of course hindsight is always 20/20 and sometimes I wish I had enjoyed it more, but I wouldn't change a thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this beautiful reminder :)
Yay for librarians! :) I'm going to have to add her work blog to my bloglovin feed ... I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to reflect on my twenties: I landed my first full-time job, and moved to California. I developed an interest in Buddhism, which I'm still pursuing today, and started studying a martial art. Looking back, I planted a lot of seeds for interests that have now become part of my life.
Yes after reaching 20, my way of thinking, way to talk, way to live everything has changed.
ReplyDeleteYour words are spot on. It's the twenties where the real change into adulthood happens. I finished my studies in my twenties and have lived in three different cities (and two different countries) since...now I work. So, not too bad I'd say!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely words on my last post!
Have a great day,
-Kati
Hey thanks for sharing this, it so nice to hear success stories. I will check out her new blog. That is what I love about blogging the wonderful stories and how it connects people.
ReplyDeleteAllie of ALLIENYC
allienyc.com
It's always truly lovely to "meet" another of your dear friends, Ally. Thank you for introducing us to this accomplished, lovely lady who is essentially my very same age.
ReplyDeleteI genuinely can't even begin to count the ways in which my life changed during my twenties. From marriage to small business ownership, my blog to living abroad, countless medical ups and downs to becoming a far more confident person, there were so many life changing events and transitions during that action packed decade. I love that I'm in my 30s now and hope that it houses lots of positives and great changes, too.
Wishing you a great start of July!
♥ Jessica
How cool you got to meet! Life does change a lot during your twenties...
ReplyDeleteWow, 6 yrs blogging! That's so awesome :) It's so cool you get to meet other bloggers you admire in person from time to time :)
ReplyDeletewww.dressed2dnines.com
I would have to say my favorite decade was my 40's. The best thing about my 20's was I was finally able to completely get away from the hot mess that was my childhood...not looking for sympathy, it's just a fact. I also met the man I've been crazy in love with for 28 years and we made our family and our life the way we wanted it to be.
ReplyDeleteIt is so cool that you've met so many bloggers in real life!
Debbie
www.fashionfairydust.com