Hey readers! My 25^th birthday will have come by the time this article is published. The last few years, in particular, have been an experience. I chose to write a short letter to myself in which I list 25 reasons on how I have grown, where my thoughts are, and anything that I feel has made me change my perspective during my Milestone Day.

Maybe some of these points apply to someone out there or can help set someone else’s perspective. Life can be the trip you wanted, yet not the route you expected. It can be so many things, but I wanted to focus on the positive more so than anything. You will notice I use “you” and “we” interchangeably as I wanted this to be as if I was speaking to my self-conscious. It is the self-talk that I hope can carry me through this year. A gift to myself in a way.

Keep the hope everyone!

I’ll give you reasons as to why we made it after so long

Here in this space and time, we’ve done a lot

We’ve had our share of upsets:

Lost those we thought would stay

Found out dreams may or may not come true

Yet, although our list of upsets could be lengthy

Although it would be so easy to sit and create a list

Of all of the things that disappointed us

Of all of the things that made us sad

Of all of the things that made us angry

Of all of the things that stood in our way

Of all of the things we thought would tear us apart

We have to look at how we turned those negatives around

But in all of the negative things or things we thought we would never survive

And understanding that your situation is never truly more unfortunate than the next person

There are things we survived, and 25 reasons are more than enough to remind us of who we are:

Reason 1: you procrastinated, but you persevered even when you felt you couldn’t anymore

Reason 2: you suffered loss on multiple accounts in childhood and adulthood alike, and yes, we were hurting and still hurt, but our loved ones want to see us continue on in our endeavors

Reason 3: you lost friends and those reasons are solely yours to know, but you’ve gained new friends to experience this life with

Reason 4: you have pleased people your entire life, but now, you’re over it; you owe no one an explanation because now, it is time to focus on what you want and carry those out with care

Reason 5: you never thought clichés could become apart of you, but they are and every one you use is said seriously and deeply

Reason 6: when they say sarcasm doesn’t get to everyone, yes they were right, but it has helped you make connections with those that do understand, and that’s more than enough

Reason 7: you were always one to compare yourself against others and feel subpar, but when you have done so much for yourself already being yourself, there is no more reason to compare

Reason 8: you understand that we are not the most important person in the universe, but that doesn’t mean we lose hope in doing what we are passionate about

Reason 9: you know others don’t believe in you like they claim, but you do know of whom that has said it, meant it

Reason 10: you were once afraid to step outside of your comfort zones, but now, that is all you aspire to do to stay happy

Reason 11: you have set aside separate definitions of “being comfortable” and “staying comfortable,” and the latter scares you

Reason 12: you don’t talk about yourself a lot because you feel slightly narcissistic, but when asked about yourself, you try to keep it short

Reason 13: you never appreciated taking walks when you were younger, but now, they give you a slice of freedom to think and feel away from everything

Reason 14: you have anxiety more because you overthink, but your support system brings you back down to reality when needed

Reason 15: when we are given a compliment, yes, we feel good about it, but laugh it away or hide our face behind our hands because a positive thought (the non-creepy ones) surprise us; someone considered you for a mere few seconds, and it humbles us considerably

Reason 16: when we laugh, it used to only be from our stomach, but now, you laugh more with your heart, and it feels nice

Reason 17: you may not know what’s ahead of you, but you have gotten better with trying to understand how to take the ride that is life

Reason 18: you realize that many may not understand and/or agree with you, but this is fine as long as we are respected among other individuals as individuals and not a part of some big “thinking machine” for our thoughts are our own

Reason 19: you have days like everyone else does, and you know how to handle them, even if it means calling on family or friends

Reason 20: we’ve battled with ourselves on taking the big risks and redefining what it means to “dream;” as the cliché says: go hard or go home

Reason 21: you often find yourself drifting away more into thought, and we used to feel bad about this, but it makes us feel freer and grounded

Reason 22: we’ve never defined ourselves as realists, yet, here we are

Reason 23: stop thinking that standing up for yourself means you’re this bad person or any derogatory term that may come to mind because if you won’t do it, then who will

Reason 24: you’ve looked at yourself inwardly as a queen; not to say that you want to conquer the human world, but have the complete and utter control over your own

Reason 25: don’t worry, whatever may come, Jessica Lauren Wilson will make her place no matter who chooses to intercept

Jess, May 9th isn't the only day to truly feel alive; make that every day <3