27 Things I Learned by 27
My 27th Birthday consisted of going to church, cleaning our condo, and having friends over for cake and games :)
Seven days ago, I turned twenty-seven years old. There is something about twenty-seven that feels different than all the twenties before it. I got a text from a close friend saying, “Welcome to your late twenties!” That’s probably it. It's the year you realize, I am going to be thirty soon. Working with college students has caused me to be in denial about my age. Being around hundreds of eighteen to twenty-two-year-olds makes me think I am twenty-two. I didn’t really have that transition from college to the “work world” because my work was similar to what I was doing in college. Five years have gone by (and within those five years, a pandemic) and I still feel twenty-two. Each birthday, I even think about the song “22” by Taylor Swift and then realize, I’m not twenty-two. I’m twenty-seven.
Twenty-seven feels like “I am an adult.” Even though I’ve been an “adult” for nine years now, the early twenties just felt like I was testing out adulthood. Now, I’m here. My mom says getting older isn’t fun. There are moments I wish I was a kid again. But on my twenty-seventh birthday, I felt happy. Happy to be with friends. Happy to eat a cake I made and was proud of. Happy to get calls from my brothers and parents. Happy to be married to the man I love. Happy to have had another year of life. Happy for all the hard work I’ve done in my twenties to heal, grow, and love better. Happy for the faith that greater things are yet to come.
As I get older, accepting my age will probably get harder, but I believe it’s possible. My goal is not to be or feel “young” forever, but to accept where I am, be proud of how I’ve grown, and be thankful for another year on this Earth.
With that said, I reflected and created a list of twenty-seven things I’ve learned in these short, twenty-seven years. Here ya go :)
I love cats. Especially, my cats.
Doing something you are afraid to fail at is worth it.
Change is possible.
Following Jesus isn’t about trying harder. It’s about letting go.
Forgiveness is hard, but it is freeing.
Sabbaths are needed.
I am not who I was at twenty, and that’s ok.
Sensitivity is a gift that takes discipline to wield well.
Jesus isn’t codependent. His love is free.
I’m 60% extrovert, 40% introvert and an external processor.
Marriage is beautiful and messy and worth it.
My biggest dream is to write a book.
I couldn’t do this life without Jesus and real friends.
I love painting, puzzles, and painting puzzles (aka paint-by-number).
I think a lot.
Children can teach us how to be free, how to trust, and how to wonder.
I (still) love to dance.
I will never arrive, and that’s ok.
I am eternally grateful for Amy Kelly, Sierra Kuriyama, Allison Thomas, Brooke Foertsch, Kathleen Brooks, Jordan Britt, Michelle Kaufmann, and my mom, Patrice Leeson, for being strong women who invested in me.
Healing and restoration is available to everyone.
My worth and self-image are not defined by a number on the scale.
Jesus is better than I ever imagined.
I want to live in a house that has a wrap-around porch one day.
I love bright colors and painting my nails, and that’s ok.
I don’t think I’ll ever get a Tik Tok.
I want to have a daughter one day.
Life is too short to spend it wanting to be someone else.
