Life at 25

I recently came across an article written by Emma Gray, called "25 Things I Know Now That I'm 25." I had to share it with you. Like I have mentioned before, had you asked me at 18 where I would be at 25, well, it definitely would not be here! Cancer definitely would not have been a topic I even thought of! Oh well. Melanoma--despite it's scariness and the toll it has taken--has brought many blessings and made me grow up in ways I would not have for many, many years.

Let me share a few favorites from Emma's list.

"You're "not a girl, not yet a woman" -- and that's fabulous."

     It's true. I pay the bills, I work extremely hard at my job, I clean, Mr. Spots cooks, I even kick some melanoma ass, but I still feel like a little kid playing house. However,  I'm fully enjoying life before babies when I really am forced to be a mature adult. 

"Just say no" applies to more than the drugs you might be offered in an after-school special.

   Emma says, "If you're really exhausted or just craving some alone time, it's alright to turn down the occasional party invite or after-work drink. " Yes, sometimes I actually don't feel like going out with my friends. I crave my pajamas, a good book, and a long soak in the tub.   

"It's equally important to say yes against your better judgment once in awhile." 

   I never planned on finding the love of my life while participating in my best friend's wedding. I definitely didn't plan on driving 3 hours just to hang out with him a week later. At the time, I thought it was silly. It ended up being one of my better decisions.

"Book clubs aren't just for old ladies or pretentious NYTimes profiles."

   I really want to join a book club! Book ladies, FIND ME!  It's the number 1 reason I miss college. (Well, besides the extra sleep I got!)

"You don't have to be friends with everybody. " 

    This one is hard for me. Emma reminds us, "Also, accept that not all of your friendships from high school and college are meant to stay as strong as they once were. Save your energy for the real thing. Those friendships are hard to come by and worth investing in." I have learned this the hard way in the past year. Not gonna lie, breaking up with a friend--especially finding out that she got married via Facebook--is just as hard as losing a guy you love. 

"You can stop judging yourself."

   "Your body, your job and your love life might not be "perfect" -- in fact, it's a guarantee that they're not. But at a certain point you just have to realize that no one gives a sh*t nearly as much as you do about your "flaws." So take Nora Ephron's advice: put on that bikini and rock it the whole decade long. You'll thank yourself later." Exactly, Emma, exactly.

"Health concerns are real -- so address them now." 

   Have YOU  gone to get that funky mole checked yet?

"Your parents are pretty cool." 

   Love my family! 

"Watching your friends get married is fun, even if you're single. At 25, if your social circle is at all similar to mine, you're right in the middle of the first wave of friend marriages. Embrace the open bar, open dance floor and newly-married couple at every wedding you go to. Don't worry about the fact that it's not your wedding -- after all, you're only 25." A wedding that I attended as a single girl is where I met Mr. Spots! 

And my favorite..."It's all right to change your mind about big things. This includes your job, your city and your life partner. Now's the time. Your life doesn't have to look the way you imagined it would at 18. It turns out, things rarely work out exactly the way you once thought you wanted them to anyway -- and that's usually a very good thing." 

I agree with Ms. Emma. Things rarely work out how you picture them--and it turns out that usually it is a really, really good thing. 

Check out Emma's full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gray/25-things-i-know-now-that-im-turning-25_b_1726642.html 

Oh, I also decided to start writing again for my personal blog. You know, in case you want to hear me talk about something besides melanoma: http://nogoodreasonwhynot.blogspot.com/2011/08/advice-from-frog.html