Unlike many of my colleagues in college, I am older than most and have had the pleasure of experiencing life as a "student" and life in the "real world." I am at the age when many of those that I went to high school with or started college with originally (back in 2007) are settling down and starting families of their own, and the question I get asked at least on a weekly basis is, "When do you plan on getting married and having kids of your own?"
I held down "jobs in the real world" where I made anywhere from ten dollars an hour to $4,800 a month. I lived with roommates in an apartment and a house. I lived with my girlfriend, and now I'm living on my own pursing a career that is truly a passion of mine, and one that I know for a fact is my true calling. I feel good.
I held down "jobs in the real world" where I made anywhere from ten dollars an hour to $4,800 a month. I lived with roommates in an apartment and a house. I lived with my girlfriend, and now I'm living on my own pursing a career that is truly a passion of mine, and one that I know for a fact is my true calling. I feel good.
But isn't that what your 20s are supposed to be? Aren't your 20s supposed to be the decade that you use to explore who you are as an individual and the time when you're supposed to truly find and insinuate your passion? I don't look at my route and past as a detriment at all, I look at it as a time where I truly found myself and discovered more than I ever could have had I saddled myself into a lifestyle at 22 years old without any real exploration.
People are so puzzled when I tell them I do not have any desire to get married or have kids until I am in my 30S because, generally, people in that age range are raising teenagers or adolescents, and I'm going to be changing diapers.
I want to squeeze every single bit of life that I possibly can out of my 20s because it's the decade that you experience life with some of the heaviest hardships, but also some of the times that are unforgettable and extremely fun in every possible way. I can't apologize that I want to travel and meet new people or dance the night away into the wee hours of the morning, in the one decade where you actually can do that and you aren't looked at as immature or weird because of it.
I want to experience that part of life too. I'm not saying that I am against marriage or settling down or anything of that sort. I do want to get married and have a family, but is it a crime that I also want the time when I can just be myself too? I want the time where all I have to think about is myself and what direction I am going in, and becoming the person that I am want to be. I want the spontaneity that can only come as a single man in his 20s.
I'm not saying that this is completely indicative of everyone who gets married early and settles down with a family. It does work for some people. Some people don't have that longing for something else other than the traditional nuclear family, and that's okay. I just know that, personally, I might be one of those middle-aged men who gets plastic surgery or spends his life savings on a Porsche in an effort to "feel young again."
So, stop asking me when I plan on slowing down and starting a family, and I'll keep my Facebook account active for the next 15-20 years when you want to look through my old pictures and see the path in life you didn't choose in your 20s.
