Thoughts on Twenty Five

Some of you are thinking, twenty five? Wow, that is old.

Most of you are thinking, twenty five?  Wow, you are a baby.

To me the numerical meaning of my age has always felt a little off.

Some people, including myself, might consider my personality and demeanor to be that of someone who has an old soul.

I don't know if that makes me mature or boring, but which ever it may be it is who I am.

I have always felt that I should be turning a year or two older than I actually was.

I am sure those thoughts will stop sometime soon as I slowly inch towards thirty.

For now, though, twenty five still feels young in so many ways.

But then I remember that twenty five marked the halfway point of my dad's life.

What if it were mine?

I hope it is not and that I live to see many years past 50, but today as I celebrate my own life I can't help but think about how my father lived his.

I am pretty sure most people don't have a mid-life crisis at twenty five, and while I don't think I am either I slightly wonder if this is what it feels like.

To wonder if the decisions you are making are the right ones.

To hope that every person you love knows it by the things you say and do.

To wake up determined to fill the rest of your life, no matter how long it may be, with the things and words and people that really matter.

This year more than ever I have learned that the gift of life is precious.

Being able to breathe, laugh, touch, hear, sing, and love with one another is all we have.

At twenty five my dad didn't know his life was half over.

But I totally believe that he lived life in a way that when at only fifty years young it was time for him to leave, he had no regrets.

He lived righteously, he loved fiercely and openly, and he laughed often.

I wish I could talk to him today.

I wish he could tell me he loved me and that he was glad that I was born.

In the end, however; he really did give me a gift today.

He gave me a fresh perspective and drive for life.

His tragically short life has left me longing to be better and to do more with each day I am given.

So when I think about being twenty five, I think about living a better life.

I think about keeping my body healthy and strong.

I think about celebrating each minute of each day; and today that means doing so with good friends, kind words, yummy food, and the love I will always feel from him.