Learning to Live

Call it a quarter-life crisis, but this year I've experienced, learned and grown more than any other time in my life. Losing my grandma has brought with it more than I ever could have imagined. So many questions about myself, life and the reality of my own mortality. That combined with what has been a long adjusting transition into the post-college real world - every perception was slowly shattered.

Through a self-loathing struggle I realized I was trying to live a life according to rules and expectations created by others. When I let all of that go it put me on the path to finding myself. I've never felt more free, inspired or alive. 

I'm 25, have a good career, but living with my parents and not saving money, preparing for retirement or getting married like everyone tells me to. I see it like this: I'm young, no mortgage, no kids... and most of all - tomorrow is never promised.

I've made the choice to do things I've always wanted to do like travel the world, explore and be adventurous. There are so many people with stories to be told, places to be seen and cultures to experience. I want to soak in everything about this life and how others choose to live it. If there's one thing I continue to learn it's that: You have your way and I have mine. As for the right way and only way, it does not exist. Embrace the diversity. I still have questions, but I've accepted I may never find the one true answer. I have no choice but to live a life that works for me. Perhaps that's why all of us are so different :)

So far this year, I spent New Years in Chicago and visited Baltimore and Salt Lake City. I'm most excited about my next two adventures of the year - Europe and West Coast. I'll be traveling to Prague, Venice, Malta and Madrid this summer. Then it is off to the West Coast from Seattle to San Diego road tripping and camping on beaches this fall. Aside from the big adventures I've been making more time to do the things I want like creating memories with awesome people. Being the selfless, people pleaser that I am - it has been a challenge but a huge area of growth and happiness in my life.

I'd like to end with a quote from someone's blog who has inspired me through these times:

"I can’t fathom the idea of ordinary, average or settling. As painful as it has been at times to deal with the critics, the people who doubt me, and the people who judge me, living life according to their rules, and their expectations has never resulted in anything fantastic. The outcomes are average at best, mediocre and catastrophic at their worst. This is where so much good advice leads many people."