This is my 36

I am 36 years old today. All I can say about that is, time flies sweet friends. So very fast.

So often, we have a tendency to compare our lives to other people’s. We see their progress and feel like we are behind, ahead, or running along side them. One of the desires of my heart is to normalize where we are. Not compare, not feel bad either way, just accept where we are as normal.

Most of us think we have to do life in a certain order. Graduate high school, go to college, meet someone, get married, start a career, start a family. We have an ideal timeline in our heads and when we fail to meet that expectation we feel like failures. The truth is friends, there is no timeline. There is not correct order. How you choose to live your life is exactly how you should live your life. No comparison. You are neither ahead or behind, you are right where you need to be.

My life has not followed what many people would consider a traditional order. I graduated from high school. Got a bachelor’s degree and a masters degree and went to work. Ive been in the same job for 11 years now. I have never been married and I do not have any children. For many years I beat myself up about that, but you know what, my life is good. When I focus on what I do have, instead of what I don’t have, I am so proud of my life.

I’m a first generation college student. I built my career from absolutely nothing. I own a home. I have a wonderful group of friends and an amazing family. My life, as it is at age 36 is good. It’s not better than yours or worse than yours, it just is. And what it is, is exactly what its supposed to be.

Love your life friends, its the only one we get. Stop trying to speed up the process, wiggle out of the uncomfortable area, force a timeline or process. Just relax, look around you and be thankful for where you are. It’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.