Dear Birthday: Hit me baby one more time.

In six weeks I am going to be 25 - a quarter of a century. I am very aware 25 is "not that old." But still, the little girl in me who quotes Disney movies and knows the choreography to every Britney Spears music video ever made is panicking. Holy crap. 25 is way passed the age of Kelly Kapowski from Saved By the Bell... even including the college years. When did this happen?!

Mastered.

I guess it means it is time to start taking responsibility for my future - I should probably find out what a 401K is / start contributing to it. I should probably learn how to put air in my tires so that I don't have to lie to the jiffy lube up the road that "yes, I do get my oil changed here," simply so they will do it for free. I should probably invest in something other than wine and cheese (or maybe just in addition to....). 

But with age comes wisdom, and this year has certainly taught me a lot of personal lessons. So in the spirit of reflection here are the top 10 things I have learned in my 24th year of life (in no specific order):

1. Being tan is overrated - In an effort to keep up with the golden glow of the Kardashians, I now have actual forehead wrinkles. Luckily, like Kim, there is enough fat in my ass to one day inject into my face if need be, but until then, sunscreen is and always will be my friend.

2. Sleep is underrated - I used to kill myself every morning in spin classes and stay out all night for FOMO (fear of missing out). Now, I go to bed early and sleep in when I want to. My ass might be a little bigger but as mentioned above, this is my preparation for skin care.
 

I dance better than you.

3. I can't fix everything - Sometimes I think I'm Bob the Builder. I just want to take the areas under construction in my life and quickly fix them with a hot glue gun (because hell if I know how to operate power tools). But there are some things I can't repair, moments I can't redo, people I can't change, and mistakes I can't unmake. 

4. And that is okay - Bob must be really exhausted and not have the energy to dance around his living room like Beyonce. Shame.

5. Cheese can fix everything - Especially spiral mac and cheese. Enough said.

6. I am not going to find my soul mate in a bar (or around a bar, or on my way to a bar, or while treating my kitchen like a bar after a long day) - This particular lesson has had many chapters this past year..... For more details, check out my debut novel called, "You Are Not Rihanna - Stop Trying to Find Love in a Hopeless Place."

Awesome moves totally runs in the family... 

7. I am becoming my mom, and I don't really mind - The older I get the more I see her in my choices, my actions and my incredible dance moves. She is the best part of who I have become, and I'm really grateful for her.

8. Cooking can be fun - I have a fear of burning down my apartment. But I am slowly getting over that with each meal I make. I might have had to disable my fire alarm, but hey - all in the name of domestication.

9. Changing your mind doesn't make you a quitter - I used to think that once I made a decision in my career or life in general, that switching direction was some form of failure. But staying true to your path sometimes means saying no, walking away, or simply changing your mind.

10. There's still a lot more to learn - Every day I am growing, changing, messing up, succeeding, overcoming, making good choices, making mistakes and being imperfect. And that will never really change. But my goal for 25 is to navigate it all with a patient and graceful heart, open to possibilities. And if I start to feel off course, I will come back to this list.

Specifically #5. 
And after that, I will dance around. 
Like Britney. 
Duh.