On being 26.

Yes, that's about as creative as the title is going to get here.26 is a weird age. The older I get, the younger I feel. I remember thinking this last year, too. People who are in college (or high school) think you’re so old, and look at you like you probably have all the secrets to life figured out. People who are over 30 look at you like you’re so young, and have your whole life ahead of you. Right now, I definitely feel more like the latter. I have figured some things out, like how to cook rice and chicken, but I have so much more to learn.I know right around this age some people freak out and think OH MY GOSH IN FOUR YEARS I’M GOING TO BE 30. But four years is a long time – so yes, in four years I’m going to be 30, but a lot can change in four years, and who know what’s going to happen between now and then. Four years ago, I was 22 and getting ready to graduate from college, and I was actually in the process of applying for my first job at this time of year. I had no idea where I would be in four months, let alone four years. Now, four years, three cities, three to five jobs (depending on what you count there), and a master’s degree later, here I am in Nashville. I am not planning on moving quite that fast for the next four years – life has had a whirlwind pace recently, and I am definitely ready to keep my roots in one city for a while now.I still relate to the sense of excitement and unknown, though, because there are a lot of other things that can happen in the next four years: lots of people to meet, hobbies to try, places to visit, experiences to have. You truly just never know what's going to happen, what excitement and opportunities will come your way each year, as well as what crazy things will stop you in your tracks and make you question why the world would throw that at you.Plus, when there’s a snowstorm on your birthday and the whole city shuts down, there’s nowhere to go but up for the next year, right?