I turned 29 this week, and have been thinking a lot about different things that have happened and things that might be. Maybe it’s because it’s a New Year thing, or maybe because 29 is quite near to 30, or maybe a little bit of both. I’ve been wondering how I feel about entering the last year of my twenties, and came across this beautiful quote (above) in my Flow quote-a-day 2015 calendar. For me, it really sums up the past 9 years, and I think that this is something I’m are constantly reminded of in different ways at different times. 

In many ways, society dictates that the ‘big 30’ is something to fear. I’ve found that the closer I get the less I think this is the case. For one thing, there isn’t exactly a lot that I can do to stop it anyway! But also my life has changed so much during my 20s and has taken me along paths that I never thought I would find myself walking down. Some of these journeys have been really difficult. Others have been really fun, inspiring or surprising! But each and every one has made me who I am today. That sounds a bit corny, but it’s true – you really find out who you are in your 20s! At times that has taken a lot of courage, and sometimes (especially in my early 20s) I have lacked the courage I needed. We all have occasions where you look back and wish you’d done things a bit differently, but that’s where having the courage to look forward is needed, instead of looking back and dwelling on what might have been.

So I’m looking forward to enjoying the last year of my 20s, and the new challenges and exciting things that the next few years will bring. If my 20s were anything to go by, there’s plenty to look forward to. So here’s to courage, gratitude and living in the moment. I’ll drink to that with a cuppa!

As a little end note, here is a photo of me just after I turned 21 (this is what January birthday weather is like!) – there was a tag doing the rounds on Facebook last week to share your first ever profile photo, and this was mine! I had no idea what the rest of my 20s would hold, and I wonder what I’ll know in another 10 years time…