twenty four

It seems like not that long ago, I was typing out a post about my 23rd birthday. The first in lockdown, the first in a profession, of sorts. The world felt different then, and I'd like to say I gained a lot of perspective in the past year, which I (think) I did - about the state of the world, about my own good fortune, about people at large. I've spent this year trucking along, crossing things off the to-do list and otherwise thriving as a 23 year old, until yesterday.

Yesterday, I turned 24.

By all measures, 23 was a good year. Looking back on it, I can't think of any particular stumble. In a lot of ways, it was a year of growth.

A year of beginning to learn how to navigate as a professional, in a field I chose and have wound up loving, both in practicum and through my internship.

A year of working on myself, learning a new language, which I have found myself improving in and enjoying every minute of.

A year of putting myself out there and tackling increased responsibilities through joining student council.

These were all things that, this time a year ago, weren't even on my radar. Practicum hadn't started, I had yet to apply for the internship, I didn't start learning French until later that winter, and student council was a rather impulsive leap that didn't roll around until February.

I changed a lot as a 23 year old. I'm better now for having these experiences under my belt, new lines on my resume, and new friends in my life.

The celebration of my 24th birthday was low-key but brilliant, and was spent receiving kind messages from family and friends, crossing even more things off my to-do list (yay productivity!), and spending time with my family. Ordering dinner in didn't hurt either, and the cake was the icing on top (pardon the pun).

As the clock starts again on this new, 24th year, I'm excited to see what lies ahead as I close in on the quarter-century mark. No doubt this year will be just as exciting and transformative as the last. My goal this year is to continue with the progress I feel I've made, and work towards the wish I made when I blew out the candle last night.

I'll be sure to update once it comes true.