25 + VAT
Originally I started writing this blog at the beginning of the summer and what it looked like then and what it's about to be are starkly different. If you all remember, I moved to Nassau days after last year's birthday so I wanted to be sure I got my entire first year in Nassau into this year's birthday blog. I started recalling all of the experiences I went through since hopping on a plane and saying yolo but of course life ended up throwing me a curve ball and the last few months trumped anything that I had begun to write.
I've gone back and forth with how I wanted to celebrate this birthday on ayetozee and what parts of this year that I really wanted to put out there. I am a super open person and when I say open, I mean like a 24 hour Walmart open but this year has stolen pieces of me I didn't even know I had so it's hard to put that in to words when I'm just starting to admit them to myself.
But I'm now 26. I have a new year to learn even more about myself. I have more time to learn and grow and I have 26 life lessons and other random things to share since last year's list was too short for some of my readers.
1 - Sometimes life will try to diminish you. Don't let it.
2 - No matter how sure you are of yourself and in yourself, things will happen that will make you question yourself.
3 - Life has a way of making you do all of the things you said you wouldn't.
4 - Even though I enjoy being childless and spoke about it in last year's birthday blog I have discovered that I actually have always seen myself becoming a mom. I still don't necessarily want to birth children though.
5 - If you feel you need therapy, seek it. It could be in the form of a girl's trip, retail therapy, doing an activity that brings you joy or an actual therapist.
6 - Always take the leap, but be sure to consider the terrain below first.
7 - Book the flight or buy the concert ticket and worry about the rest later.
8 - Be open to dating, but not so open that you compromise on your requirements for someone that doesn't make up for it in other areas.
9 - Men out here are weird. Hastily pull over on the side of the road, tell you they're going to sneak children in you weird. Be safe at all times.
10 - Always do what's best for you. Selfishness isn't always a bad thing. And don't let anyone make you feel guilty for being selfish. An empty vessel can't pour into anyone else.
11 - You can only laugh at your pain for so long. Eventually it will hit you. And it will hit you hard.
12 - Health scares will come and they contain the word scare for a reason. But try not to cry on the examination table next time.
13 - On that note, it's funny the doctor's visit that made me cry and the one that didn't.
14 - Sometimes you'll feel conflicted about things. The things that make you happy can also make you sad. But it's okay, just try to go with the feelings as they come.
15 - It's okay not to know your purpose or your passion, but if you don't know it already you won't discover it doing the things you've always done.
16 - Don't let someone pressure you into doing something you don't want to do, or pressure you into sticking with a decision you've already made if you've changed your mind.
17 - Crying a lot isn't a bad thing. I used to cry a lot and sometimes I miss the person that did because emotions were released.
18 - Your friends are always super important. Choose them wisely because many times they'll be your pillar of strength in sucky situations.
19 - I'm still a birthday girl. And no matter what I'll celebrate me even if people aren't on the same page when it comes to celebrating birthdays.
20 - Continue to live without regret. Even when you make hard choices. And even more when you make seemingly wrong choices.
21 - I've always said I don't necessarily feel God in church. That changed this year. It was uncomfortable but just what I needed at the time. Even if it made me cry and walk out.
22 - But I do feel God when I go to the beach, which is why I love going so much.
23 - A lot of things you speak about in hypotheticals can come to pass. So be mindful of what you release into the atmosphere.
24 - My 25th Year made me a woman. Hopefully 26 will make a woman I'm proud to be.
25 - Being comfortable OR uncomfortable will often be more important than A LOT of other things.
26 - If you made it this far on this list you really love me or the things I had to say. And that means you'll follow my new Instagram @passionxproject where I'll be featuring friends and strangers and what they're passionate about.
I'm honestly looking forward to 26 and what I'll learn from it. Happy Birthday to me!
