Here we are again, another year, another birthday and sometimes when I look at the calendar I can’t believe how fast the time goes by and how another year has come and passed. I turn 28 today, a birthday that seems to have snuck up on me after a hectic couple months and an October 15th that will come and go, but it’s a day that I feel is a good one to see what the last year has brought and to look to the year ahead and what’s to come. I love birthdays as ways to measure the years, to remember what I encountered each year, what each year was filled with and how many moments were included in each one.
When I stop and think about it, 27 was a year of pursuing things I’ve always wanted to do. It was filled with travel, career steps forward, pursuing dreams for the coming year, fulfilling things I’ve had on my “want to do list” for a while. It was a year filled with memories with family, spending time with those that I love the most. It was a year filled with photos and moments, a year that I felt like I really grew as a person, as a woman and as a global citizen. I realized a lot about myself this year and I’ve also realized a lot of what I don’t want in my life going forward and what I won’t put up with. It seems as we get older, we realize what’s really important and what’s not. We realize the people that we want in our life, and the ones we need to let go. We realize that as we get older and as time gets more precious, we want only to spend the moments we have with those that we love and those that love us. 27 was a year that I realized that possibly more than any others before it.
As I look forward to 28, to another year that I’m sure will bring many more moments, many more lessons and many more memories, the one thing I can say that 27 taught me truly, is to follow your dreams and work hard for them. There is nothing out of our reach if we aim high and take the necessary steps to fulfill them. 27 taught me that dreaming big is not unrealistic, it’s a way of life to get to the point where you are fulfilled inside and out. 27 taught me that if you want something, you can reach out and take it. 27 taught me to dream big and as I look toward 28, I’ll be setting my heart towards reaching further into my dreams and seeing where the world can take me.