On Being 25

Tomorrow, the quarter century club will finally accept me as one of their own, at least for one year membership, I suppose. Yeah, yeah! I will be 25 this September 1 and in as much as I want to cry my hearts out and beg the heavens to postpone the aging process, getting older is inevitable.

Being 24 was quite a bumpy ride, albeit, a very memorable ride; I changed two jobs since and thank God I made the right decision once I left my previous posts. Also, a very close friend left the country for good and up until now, his presence is deeply missed. Love, aaah! Love did flourish. I found someone I can truly say I am very happy with. With full confidence, I am hoping that she’s the one. Also, I have met lots of people that I haven’t had a clue existed before. Most of them are nice but a bunch, to put it mildly, is already on my list of ‘who to avoid”.

Although, I have a pretty clear expectation when I was still a wiry sixteen years old about me rolling this age, nevertheless, reality ensue. I thought that I will have the uber good body I longed for but that good-for-nothing genes come into the way. My tummy, I believe, was program to jut out…darn it!

Career wise, well… just a little off-tangent to what I was envisioning before. I still have insecurities about not having a title and now planning to take the giant leap to take the board exam, which, I hope, not a giant leap for a humbling stumble.

Anyway, I recognize though that for a country folk like moi, I was given the chance to swim alongside the big fishes of the city and I realize that they too have insecurities and fears like most screw ups. If the guards are down, true humanity with all its failings and weaknesses do emerge.

All in all, however, I think I did a little of growing up. I expect lesser now and most of the time, just shrugging my shoulders to what others may consider essential. Success and happiness is relative. I have seen much poorer folks that can outshine Bill Gates if contentment should be given a much higher weight. Would it be a much happier world should the comparison of have’s and have-not’s be left across the borderline of childhood and puberty? That way, every person entering the GrownUp Ville will not equate superiority with financial success, physical attributes or the new H3 parked across the street. But I digress…

Now, I rummage through the chaos within my brain the priorities that I should not miss as I embark the quarter century mark: Faith in God, great relationship with the parentals and the sibs, and finding true and lasting friendship from the swarm of leeches—in that absolute order.

Why! Oh! Why! You might say, well, here goes:

• Faith in God and a good relationship with Him is the only lasting relationship everyone should know about. That will outlast even the ring you brought from Tiffany’s.
  
  
  


• Having a good bond with your Fam will do you favor should you screw up big time. Who on earth would put up with you but the one who were there from the beginning…am I right or am I right?

• Finding a satisfying relationship with anyone not connected with your family tree is like hoping to find the face of Michael Jackson in a 100 dollar bill (I know the association sucks). Someone sent me a message that clearly illustrates this one: “If someone wants to be a part of your life…they will make an effort to be in it.” From my vantage point of being 24, I know that not many people will go beyond themselves for a proverbial friend. If you happen to stumble to just one good friend in your lifetime, just make it sure that he knows how important he is. Many of us often overlook the value of true friendships.

So, as I bade my farewell to my ol’ pal the number 24, I must not forget the lessons I’ve learned while traversing this familiar road, and from the challenges below, I should not let my vision waver to the summit on which I was made to conquer.

25…here I go!