Monday, August 8, 2011

The big 2-0

When we got an email from the fabulous Loretta Nyhan that the crazy talented Kody Keplinger was turning twenty, we knew we had to take this opportunity to do a little reminiscing.

Our twenties. We just recently left them behind (as gracefully as possible) and have agreed on one word that accurately sums them up.

Possibility.

In this decade absolutely anything is possible. You can switch your major. You can transfer colleges. You can study abroad. You can meet someone and fall in love. You can meet lots of people and not fall in love. The twenties is the decade of first real jobs. A paycheck. Your own place. Freedom.

Possibility.

We watched too much TLC (mainly A Wedding Story), drank too much beer, ate too much pizza, wore too many tube tops, danced (badly) to too many songs. But we made friends for life, discovered a few loves - teaching and Bridget Jones and writing and working hard and Sex in the City and wine, lots and lots of wine. We even got married and popped out a few kids.

There were moments we rushed, where looking back we wished we could go back and tell our twenty-something selves to slow down, to savor and enjoy because before you know it, those moments are gone. Every year a little bit more responsibility is stacked onto the last until finally you're expected to be an adult. A real adult, not just a pretend one, which still kind of scares the crap out of us.

But we'd do it all over again just to get to where we are right now.

The boxes of printed photographs, old emails, letters, diplomas and clothes that have long been donated to Goodwill (except for Laura's token pair of skinny jeans and Lisa's famous tight-ass black stretch pants purchased in Europe, survivor of countless moves and worn through 3 pregnancies) only tell a snippet of the story. And it's a long one. Full of conflict and drama and an endless cast of characters all destined to impact you in different ways. If you're lucky your story will take place in lots of amazing places and will include more laughter than tears.

Advice? Appreciate this time. Because real possibility is rare. In high school you know it's out there, but it's always slightly out of reach. In your twenties, you finally have the power to grab hold of it. And in your thirties and beyond you might have to work a little harder to reel it in.

So enjoy.

Happy 20th Birthday, Kody! Look at all that you have accomplished in twenty years. We can't wait to see what you're going to achieve in the next twenty.

10 comments:

Matthew MacNish said...

My twenties weren't so good. I did make two humans though, that I can be proud of.

Stina said...

My twenties had a lot of ups and downs. Somethings I was proud of and some most definitely not. But overall, I wouldn't change (almost) a minute of it. :)

Jill Hathaway said...

Happy birthday, Kody! I would say my twenties were the best years of my life, but my thirties are turning out pretty great, too. I think it's all what you make of it.

Laura Pauling said...

The twenties are the most volatile life changing years. Anything is possible. What you want to do. Where you want to live. Who you want to be. Because once you "settle down" it's harder to change. But those years can also be full of turmoil and bad decision. Thirties are way better! :)

Loretta Nyhan said...

Great post! (And not only do I not regret my 20s, but I'm thinking I'd like to go back...just for a day or two!)

Jemi Fraser said...

The 20s are great! I loved that decade :)

Happy Birthday to Kody!

Kody Keplinger said...

Thank you, you guys! This means a lot to me. I'm hoping my 20s will change my mind, despite my fear of leaving the teens behind. (that rhymed. I'm a poet now).

Gail said...

Twenties are exciting and emotion-filled and sometimes unsettling because there's so many possibilities. But I have to say that-now I'm in my 50s- the 30s were better and the 40s were fun too and I'm thrilled with life changes I'm making in my 50s! Like following my passions only because I can since I retired from 30 years of teaching. The older you get, the freer you feel. Learning and life-changes never stop!!!

Krispy said...

Happy Birthday to Kody!

Love this post about the 20s meaning possibilities. I'm in the midst of them right now (about to turn a quarter century old!), and I think I've been freaking out about my 20s more than appreciating them. I'm loving it, but yes, the possibilities kind of scare me! Haha.

Nicole Zoltack said...

Happy Birthday, Kody!

Speaking of 3 pregnancies, I'm pregnant for a third time. Praying I finally have a girl!

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