It’s my last day as a 25 year old. I’ve spent it working, so I guess I’m doing adulthood right.

Twenty-five has been a fun year! I was flipping through my journal the other night and found an entry from my first day as a quarter-centurion. I wrote that I had received tons of advice regarding this birthday. So many people felt that their 25th year of life was a turning point. I appreciated the advice, but also thought much of it was crazy.

So, after surviving my 25th year and coming to my own conclusions about it, I’ve decided to play a little game of mythbusters. Below are different things people told me about turning 25, and I will confirm or reject according to my own experiences.

1. Twenty-five is the first year you truly feel like an adult.
   True. I really feel like a full-fledged adult now. Sure, there are still moments where adult me & middle school me seem one-in-the-same, but for the most part, this was the year I settled into adulthood. Paying car insurance still hurts, but it’s no longer “like, the most unfair thing ever” (direct quote from a journal entry during year 23). Adulthood just makes more sense now, which also makes it a whole lot more fun.
2. You will no longer be able to cling to college hours or habits in your 25th year.
   True. I learned this lesson a lot this year. Never was it so crystal clear then when I volunteered at my church youth group’s all-nighter back in May. I don’t want to say it was traumatic…but zero sleep and a bunch of junk food made me into a person that I never want to be again.
3. Your biological clock will start ticking this year.
   False. I mean, I just complained about one night of zero sleep at a church lock-in. I’m no baby mama, but I’m pretty sure that being a parent means signing up for roughly 18 years of sleepless nights. No thank you, not yet, no siree.
4. You will no longer be able to eat anything you want and get away with it.
   True/False. I think this one’s probably true for a lot of people. (This is hands-down the thing that people warned me about the most when turning 25.) But, I actually had to learn that lesson way back in the ol’ college days (RIP high school swim team diet), so nothing changed too much on that front for me this year. I will say, I felt a lot more sick when I ate junk then ever before. I think when it comes to food (or sleep, or habits), 25 taught me that adult bodies really like healthy consistency.
5. You will notice grey hairs/wrinkles for the first time.
   Praise the Lord for a big, fat FALSE here. No change in my general appearance. Still get mistaken for an 18 year old all the time.

Twenty-five, you’ve been a thrill, but twenty-six, I’m ready for ya. After all, you know what they say: one year older, one year better.

KAT
Currently listening to “My Girl” by The Temptations