... so I hope you didn't think I had forgotten.
I know this is an almost 24-hour late greeting. But since I was so SWAMPED with work for the past few days (like really, swamped is an understatement) I opted to write you a rather delayed but heartfelt message. Here it goes.
Hi friend! Good morning!
How does being 23 feel? Exciting? Happy? Anxious? Maybe all of them? I'd understand cause I've been through the exact, same thing! Turning 23 for me felt like a sad, boring plateau, a time when nothing too exciting was going on. Things might seem a bit too overwhelming even though there's really nothing happening, so it could be a tad confusing. Left with a couple of months before I embark on my 24th year of existence, I thought of sharing a ThoughtCatalog-inspired birthday greeting. Maybe I could reuse the same greeting for Madeeha? Who knows.
1. Don't beat yourself up. For anything. Easier said than done! (Jinx, I knew you'd think that.) But really, what's the point of punishing yourself for something unchangeable and beyond your control...at least for now (ie being single, being broke, not knowing what to do). I know I won't be the first person to tell you this, but these things happen to EVERYBODY, so don't feel special for encountering all of them. Nobody has starved to death for not having a concrete life plan, right? RIGHT? So it's okay, be careless, laugh it off, be stupid. Enjoy being 23 because this age does not happen twice in a lifetime.
2. LOVE. Now being the romantic that you are, I'm quite certain that you were thinking "But Drei, I'm single, remember?" Well, Mel, whoever said that loving has to entail you being with somebody? Again, and I've told you this before, NOW is the perfect time to love yourself. Love yourself for making it for almost eight months in the States through all the ups and downs and stagnancy! Love yourself for crying, because that just means you're human for feeling something, which just means you're normal! Love yourself for being you, because that's what make you special: the eternally supportive you, the crybaby you, the hopeless romantic you, the easily perturbed you. Love yourself for being you, despite all of these weaknesses, because that's exactly why WE love you. *cue in our favorite John Legend song*
3. Take your time. You panic. A LOT. And there's nothing wrong with that (I guess). But amidst the panic and the anxiety and all the negative thoughts and feelings, take your time relishing being unemployed, because having a job would mean less time for friends, Facetime, and blogging. And isn't that sad? Take your time enjoying being single, because once you're back in the game (LOL) finding the time to do introspection and think things through thoroughly and logically could be elusive, since your emotions would by that time be on a high. Take your time not knowing what to do--as long as your longterm goal is clear--because moments like that come very rarely in a world like ours. Take your time appreciating life, your surroundings, the people around you, the feelings you are feeling, the thoughts you have, the little things that make you happy. Because as W. Somerset Maugham puts it, "Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it."
Happiest of birthdays, Mel. Missing you everyday.
Drei
