Today is December 31st, 2009, the last day of the first decade of the 2000s. I can’t even begin to describe how I feel to be leaving this decade behind me; it’s a mix of emotions and they are all fighting to spill over and I’m struggling to keep them just below the surface. I’m not ready to deal with that yet.
The last ten years have, understandably, been the years that shaped me the most as I’ve gone from 15 to 25 over the course of the decade. I’d be willing to argue that for most people the time between your teens and your mid twenties is one of the most fundamental times in your life. This is when you have the chance to discover who you are, what you want to do, where you want to go and who you want to be. Now, I’m not saying that you’ll have it figured out by now, lord knows I don’t yet, but you’ll definitely be a lot closer. The difference between me as a 15 year old girl and me as a now 25 year old woman is staggering and most people who knew me in high school probably wouldn’t recognize me now. And I’m perfectly fine with that.
The amount of growing I did as a person over the last decade is hard to measure, but i can quantify it in different momentous occasions: I learned to drive, had my first boyfriend, graduated high school, went to college, fell in love once, lost my virginity, had my heart broken (more than once by the same person), moved to England, traveled through Europe, learned how to survive while dead broke, made new friends, was able to drink legally, lost trust, graduated college, saw my best friend get married,gained trust, moved out on my own, started a job I love, babies were born, saw loved ones die, lost friends, learned how to date like a grown up, learned how to survive a break up like a grown up, moved more times than I care to think about, became financially independent, started graduate school, decided on a career path, became a grown up and eventually learned a lot about who I did and didn’t want to be.
I’m spending New Years Eve at home on my couch watching “Star Wars”, drinking champagne, chatting with a few friends online or through text and chilling with my puppy; I honestly could not think of a better way to spend tonight (well, there may be at least one other). I had a few invites to go out to a few different parties, but I was not in a party type of mode tonight. I think that after the last few years I had entering 2010 in the peace and quiet of my apartment was the perfect start to a new decade.
After all I went through the last ten years I’m excited to see what sort of momentous occasions happen in the next ten. I’m certainly ready for it now.
