Flying into 22

I'm turning 22 this week. It feels crazy to write that, but it's true. It seems like just yesterday I was a little girl lying on the grass in the backyard wondering what it would feel like to be 12, and then when I was 12, dreaming what would be like to be 16, and now, here I am turning 22.

It's funny because, in all my dreaming and wondering, I never thought or pictured what life would look like after 18. Life has always held some pretty big unknowns for me, so maybe that is to blame for my lack (or dare I say reluctance) to consider a future after becoming a legal adult. And yet, here I stand, staring at my early twenties and baffled about how much has changed in the past 12 years.

That change is still in the air, and even more so now (thanks to the world's current circumstances and my ever-present desire to tackle this thing people call adulthood.) I can feel it every time I branch out and try something new. I feel it every time I hear about the latest troubling news. I feel it every time I work on my goals. As much as I dislike change, it is inevitable, isn't it?

As I let the change filter into every aspect of my life, I can't help feeling a sort of urgency, and frankly, it scares me. "Go faster, catch up, be quick," it seems to say. "Time isn't going to wait for you." Really? Do I really need to rush things?

If there is one thing I have learned from others older than myself, it's that you can and should take your time. Life isn't about hurry up and wait. It's about doing the next thing that is right in front of you. Keep taking life one step at a time. Every year, month, day, hour, minute, and second matter more, so enjoy it. Don't rush it. Don't let it rob you of the precious things right in front of you.

I want to stop rushing--- but I also want to keep moving forward. After all, time isn't standing still and I can't stay young forever (as much as I want to!) I don't want the current circumstances of this world to keep choking me and keeping me back from thriving.

I just don't want to run. I want to fly!

As I begin living my 22nd year of life, there may still be so many unknowns, but I'm going make the best of it and love more, dream bigger and fly higher than ever before!

Because what have I got to lose? With God, all things are possible!