They say the twenties are for training, for finding yourself. I never really considered this much or gave it much thought. But as I approach twenty-five, I can say it is the truth. Who I am now as a person is much different from who I was at twenty. Whether it be in my education, travels, skills or experiences, I am far more along as a person. As a kid, my parents thought I’d become a cartoonist because of my rampant imagination. Playing in the backyard, running around the house, it was like I was dreaming with my eyes wide open. My world was blended both of reality and what my curious, juvenile brain dared to invision and project around myself.
I never really lost that ability per se as a teenager, but it didn’t really start to manifest again until I really started delving further into more of my interests. Once I did though, so much clicked into place and that vibrant imagination returned. Except instead of playing make-believe and pretending to be like Peter Pan in Neverland, it was with what I wanted to do with all my creative projects and where I wanted to take them. Both big and small, tendriling like the roots of a tree, they grew and interconnected. Passions overlapped. Dreams connected. Newer interests and passions were discovered. Some old ones were exhumed.
Ultimately, not only did the framework for my life come to be, but so did my confidence and my identity. I know who I am. I know what I am not. I know what I want in my life and I know where I want to go. Even all these years later, I am still a kid dreaming with my eyes wide open. The difference is it’s no longer make-believe and pretend. It’s the life and world I am living in, the world and life I continue to build for myself.
As cliche as it sounds, i’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Imagination is not something reserved just for the young. The twenties may be for training, but so can any age, really. And that excites me even more. I know who I am now, but who will I be in another twenty years? Well, I am excited to find out.
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