WHAAAAT'S GOIIIING OOOOON?! # 25 years

25 years and my life is still

Tryin' to get up that great big hill of hope

For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should

That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man

For whatever that means

I think I’ve been looking forward to using this song for my birthday since I was 14 and I started posting a ‘birthday song’ each year. The more time passed, the more I found myself in this song. Today is the day. 25. 

This year, for the first time ever, the biggest gift from myself to myself was taking a bit of time off work. Because I was tired. I had another long year with plenty of work and projects, plus a (super awesome) wedding (party). When your work is all about making the world a somewhat better place in different ways, it does take a toll on you. Empathy fatigue is real. It took me 25 years of life and 9 years of… changing the world to realise that taking a break doesn’t mean you don’t love what you’re doing. On the contrary, taking a break means that you know the value of your work and you know that you can only keep on going if you stop for a minute to catch your breath. 

I also…

cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed (or on public transport with my sunglasses on)

Just to get it all out, what's in my head

But I always finish crying with a smile on my face. 

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside

And I take a deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs

"What's going on?"

25. Twenty-five. I am rested and happy. In tune with myself. Surrounded by people who love, respect, appreciate, and value me. Being my true, authentic self every day. Doing work that is meaningful and brings me joy. And another thing that makes me happy is that I still love reading and it’s an important part of my life even now, when my frontal lobe has fully developed at 12.10 pm on the dot :) 

So, happy completion day to my frontal lobe. 

Does that mean I am now officially-officially an adult? What even is an adult? I guess someone who has lived a quarter of a century counts as an adult. 

Well, for the next quarter of a century I hope for a better world. I will be playing my part and empower others - mostly young people - to play their part too. I will continue to learn and give forward. I will trust my instinct, follow my passion, and listen to my body. I will use my overthinking brain as a superpower, but also give it time to settle and relax. This is what I’ve learnt works for me. 

And I try

Oh my god, do I try

I try all the time

In this institution

And I pray

Oh my god, do I pray

I pray every single day

For revolution