I just got home from the baby shower of one of my best friends from high school. It was such a fun few hours catching up with friends I haven't seen in years, oohing and awing at tiny baby clothes as they came out of gift bags. There was a lot of catching up and much laughter, but I left the party in a state of realization: time will continue to tick without us noticing. Our stories will continue to be written, and there is no timeline to guide us through life.

I think one of the strangest times in a person's life is the transition period I am in right now. When you're ten years old, the majority of ten-year-olds you encounter are pretty much doing the same thing you are: pretending they don't have a crush on the person who sits next to them at school, taking those timed multiplication tests, and stressing out about the mystery that is junior high. Forty-year-olds are all pretty much on the same page as well: they have their lives put together for the most part. They might have kids or are stressing out about deadlines at work. But here in the middle, in the roaring twenties, we are all on different pages. I'm trying to learn how to make pancakes that don't fall apart while other people my age are taking internships overseas or starting families.

These are all great adventures and experiences that I also hope to have someday. I smile when I think about my future—getting married, traveling, having a kid, wiping said kid's sticky fingers, and all the other little moments I will encounter.

In this time and space, I am not ready to be a parent. I'm not ready for the responsibility that comes with being a wife and a mother. Right now, I am a student at Biola Univeristy, an intern for The Odyssey, and really just a clueless young woman trying to find my footing in this world called Adulthood. I am so happy for my friend and her family. She is going to be amazing, and it's okay that she is on a different page of this chapter than I am.

Whatever speed we move at, we all will find our own balance eventually.

One of the most important parts of this chapter is the supporting characters we bring into it. Write in the people who you truly want to be a part of your story; don't be afraid to erase the themes and characters that won't benefit the plot. Most importantly of all, develop your main character—yourself. Find your passions, find your values, and find yourself. This will take time. This might even take the whole chapter and some of the next, but you will find it, and it will be a masterpiece.