Turning 25

Please make it stop... I am getting old... Can i be 16 again?..

These are phrases you are likely to hear from people who are about to turn 25 or are 25 already. What is it really that is so scary about the silver jubilee age? What is it about the age that apparently seems so much adult-like, different from ages 22, 23, 24..? For a girl who's turning 25 in a couple of months i definitely feel this way.  I was so happy and free from worries when i turned 18. I was finally legal (in my residential country).

Turning 18 was awesome! The salient reason it was a such big deal for me was because finally i can utter the words "i am now an adult". Like it was everything i wanted but it wasn't all. Down the years i wanted other things too. Among these was getting my first degree in a couple of years, become a surgeon like i always dreamed of (this was the top of my to-do list). Just like every other dream that never came true, not all these happened. That did not kill all my hopes because i thought i still had  time, "a few more years before i become 25" i would tell myself almost everyday.

I turned 24 and there was just one more year before 25 and boy did i get so scared. My 24th year came with many changes. I took many risks and well still i didn't get everything i planned to. In-spite of this, other plans i didn't have came to life. I did achieve more.. Got a first degree i love so much with honors. Graduated best in the department (icing on the cake). Found love where i didn't think was possible. Made friends that became family. Now, i did get to work in a hospital like i always wanted but not as a surgeon, not yet anyway lol. I became a professional model and didn't think this was possible. The reason being i always have a veil over my head (the hijab). I learned it's okay to not be loved by everyone and that making mistakes were okay as long as you learn from them. Made a big move earlier this year.. Never learned to swim even though the beach happens to be one of my favorite places to hang out. I know, weird right? or maybe not. Growing older made me learn to appreciate the presence of family and loved ones. Above all, my perspective on different things in life changed.

As i grow older and anticipate my 25th year, i don't expect to be the same person i was years ago. Life changes you. You only get to decide if that change is good or bad. The point is over the years, things happened. Different from what i had planned for these 'legal' years. I have learned that it's okay because as it turns out to be, it couldn't have gone any better. Right now, i cannot wait to see what the silver jubilee year would bring me. Maybe tick-off more from my teenage-adult to-do list or bring more surprises like the previous years did. Hopefully great ones! 

I plan on studying more, making more remarkable memories and learning more lessons. Reading more books, learning more about my religion, drinking more water daily (sometimes i forget to drink water daily) and visit places that'll distract me from worldly dramas. Planning is key but as i've learned you can only hope and work towards your plans. More than often life plans itself with little or no help from you and sometimes it's not so terrible!


Cheers to another year and to growing older, wiser and stronger.


M.