Photo by Josh Sorenson
It's funny to her, the amount of time and money she spends going between both of her "worlds." One world consists of her job, apartment, roommates, friends, and fun weekend plans such as sleeping in (yes, sleeping in is fun when you've had a nonstop week of work and after work activities), game nights, church, hiking, and catching up with friends she doesn't get to see very often. Being a young professional in an urban, fast-paced environment is exciting…and exhausting.
Her other "world" consists of family, childhood friends, big city suburban sprawl, and normal life. She misses that normalcy of walking out the front door with her siblings and hopping in the car, driving across town to watch her little brothers play in their soccer games and her not-so-little-anymore sister compete in track. She misses visiting her older sister at work. She wishes she could see more of her brothers who are close in age to her. One of those brothers is married now and the other is just a year away from graduating from college. They grow up so fast.
Cassidy Rich
Mid-afternoon approaches quickly. She changes into comfortable clothes for the eight-hour journey home. Saying goodbye to her boss, she heads out of the office and down the street to the train station. She works in such a cool city; so much going on all the time. She has an amazing boss and fantastic coworkers. She loves her job. "The Lord is so good," she often reminds herself. It's easy to be ungrateful, to complain about the ridiculously high cost living in this city, to grumble about how often it rains, and the humidity the rain brings with it. But this city has an opportunity unlike any other, and it's where God has her right now. She's thankful for His grace and kindness.
Cassidy Rich
Getting through security at the airport went quicker than she anticipated. Finding her gate, she parks her backpack on the floor by her feet and plugs in her phone to charge. She laughs to herself as she looks around. She still can't believe that she ended up working in this city. After a week-long tour of the city with her grandparents when she was 14, she thought it would be so cool to live and work here. Now she does.
Photo by LUM3N
The announcement comes over the speakers. It's time to board the plane. Countless times she's come to this airport to fly home. Countless times she's landed at this airport after visiting home. Here she is again, chasing the sunset as the plane flies west. As she looks out the window at the tiny towns below, the flaming ball of yellow and orange fades in the sky. It's the perfect reminder that nothing in this life lasts forever. Enjoy every season, whether it's being settled down somewhere or chasing sunsets.
Photo by Suhyeon Choi
P.S.: she wrote this while chasing a sunset.
20 Lessons I Learned Before I Turned 20
I have learned so much over these past 20 years, but I still have a long way to go.
Let's face it, turning 20 is a weird thing. You can drive at 16, you are a legal adult at 18 and you can drink at 21, so in the grand scheme of things, 20 is an insignificant age. However, when you turn 20, and that suffix of "teen" is no longer behind your age, it hits you. You're not a kid anymore. When you make mistakes at 20, people don't defend you anymore by saying, "Oh she's just young, she doesn't know any better." When you're 20, you are expected to have your shit together because you should have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge over these past 20 years, and let me tell you, that fucking sucks. But this is not a post of regret, this is a post of reflection. So please enjoy 20 years of lessons that I had no idea I was learning.
1. It's ok to make mistakes.
Hannah Montana said it best, "nobody's perfect." You're going to mess up so much in life, but you would never grow if you didn't make a mistake here and there.
2. Sometimes, you're going to be in the right, but when you are in the wrong, don't try to hide it or fight to prove your point. Just own that you were wrong and move on.
Being right 100% of the time is not only not natural, but not healthy. No one knows everything.
3. You have to fight for what you want, nothing is handed to you.
Working hard will get you so much further in life, so don't just sit around expecting good things to come your way.
4. Appreciate every day you have, whether good or bad.
You are still alive, you are still breathing. Those two things in and of themselves are the greatest blessings.
5. In bad situations, it's all about how you react.
You can make the best out of every situation, and nothing is ever past the point of fixing.
6. There's no weakness in asking for help.
If you try to take care of everything yourself, you will wind up exhausted and probably worse off then you were before. Asking for help is actually one the smartest and strongest things you can do.
7. Always be open to listening to other perspectives. Who knows, you could maybe learn something from them.
Every person you meet is going to have different experiences from you, so they must likely won't agree with you on everything. But just because they may not side with your point, doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to them.
8. When you are happy, don't look for reasons why you shouldn't be. Just be happy.
Don't keep looking for something bad coming around the corner, just enjoy being happy. Being comfortable in your happiness is one of the hardest things to do (trust me, I know), but it is so worth it in the end.
9. Take advice from those older than you, they do know a few things.
Whether it's your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, professors, or an old dude on the street, they have lived a lot more life than you, so they definitely have learned a few more lessons.
10. Life will throw curveballs at you, don't try to dodge them.
Curveballs and obstacles are a natural part of life, so don't try to dodge them, just handle them as they come at you.
11. Find something to be thankful for everyday.
Whether it is something trivial or major, there is always something out there to be thankful for.
12. If someone isn't treating you the way you deserve to be treated, leave them behind.
The sooner your recognize that you are being treated like shit, the sooner you can change things. Don't settle with being treated poorly, no one deserves that.
13. There is such a thing as luck, but it's not a given.
Luck comes to those deserving of it, so, basically, don't be an asshole.
14. Don't try to look like everybody else. Relish in what makes you unique.
If everybody looked and acted exactly the same, the world would be a pretty boring place. There's only one you in the world, so be awesome.
15. Having a few close friends is much better than having a lot of fake ones.
Your close friends will be there for you no matter what, so it is so essential to have those people who you know you could come to anytime, any day, anywhere.
16. Don't go looking for love, it will find you.
The age old saying, "Love will come when you least expect it" is so unbelievably true, so don't try to force it. If it's meant to be, it will be.
17. Do what you love, love what you do.
Find a job that makes you hop out of bed every morning, eager to face what the day will bring. You will be a whole lot happier in the long run.
18. Don't waste your time trying to get people to like you. The people who do like you will show it.
When you find people who truly love you for who you are, it all comes easily.
19. Trust your gut. You know when things are right and when they are wrong.
Intuition is a very powerful thing, so harness it. At the end of the day, no one knows you better than you know yourself.
20. I still have a lot to learn.
I cannot wait to see what more lessons the rest of my life will hold. Bring it on baby!