Who remembers that initial feeling of turning 20 years old? There is so much excitement for the oncoming sense of independence that comes with the idea of no longer being a teen. That infamous yearn to grow up and take on adult responsibilities will never make sense to me, now that I know what it all means. I got a lot more than I bargained for over the past decade-- experienced, overcame, learned, and often misunderstood many lessons.

Alot of the strife I have endured, beginning the moment I turned 20, was of my own doing. I was responsible as far as holding a job and paying for my own bills, but I often let my free spirit (currently in check) carry me much further than I should have allowed. However, there are many things that would have gone unrealized or undiscovered had I not fully embraced what life had to offer.

Being in your twenties is all about making mistakes. You're not supposed to have your whole life figured out the moment you graduate high school. How is that even possible if you have yet to experience what the world has to offer? Would you buy a car without test driving it? I would hope not. I may have actually made that mistake once..shh? But, t'was a valuable lesson learned. I paid for it, literally, and then moved on to something better - taking that very valuable lesson with me.

By the age of 25, I was married with three kids, had tried giving college a go --twice-- and still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Not only that, I still had no idea who I was. This became evident as I went through a divorce by the age of 26. This is when regression began; it was as if I was repeating 20 all over again-- starting back at the beginning to try and figure out who I really was. This was both good and bad-- but mostly good. I have learned to see the positive in everything negative because I have learned everything truly does happen for a reason. Everything I have gone through that has brought me to the wiser age of 29 has helped me to figure out who I am, what I want out of life, and has given me the strength to take risks to achieve goals.

Where I am right now, I never would have imagined this life for myself five years ago. If you had told me people all over the world would be reading my words, I would have looked at that as an impossibility. Everything that my t20s has brought my way lead me to writing this very reflection, to share with all of you that grower older becomes easier-- life becomes easier.

Being 20 is hard, and not to mention stressful. Growing up is also a scary thing, but there is so much beauty in it. As I approach 30 next week, I am more than ready to take what my twenties gave to me and move on to bigger and better things. I no longer fear new opportunities that will present themselves to me. I no longer have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I no longer regret any of my past mistakes because I realize now they were relevant to my life's story.

As one chapter closes and another one opens, I am ready to make more mistakes, learn more life lessons, become a better person, and continue to set new goals to accomplish before I turn 40 (which feels totally scary to say). Goodbye 20s! Sorry not sorry!