Sometimes working with kids and meeting teachers who get younger and younger each year, the realization that I’m getting older just smacks me in the face sometimes.

My initial reaction is, of course, a mini existential crisis (“I haven’t achieved half of the things I said I would when I was eleven!”), but when I really think about it, I’m kind of glad. There are so many things I’ve learned moving from my early twenties into my late twenties, from late twenties into early thirties, and I’m proud of what I have achieved and learned about life along the way.

So here are some reasons why getting older isn’t something to be afraid of but something to be celebrated.

1. You get wiser with every year. When I look back at old journals or writings, I laugh at how dramatic I was about my obsessions/crushes/problems/schoolwork. With every year we gain, we realize what matters and what doesn’t, and we learn how to better use our skills and abilities to achieve more long-term goals rather than immediate ones. There’s a famous out-of-context quote by Oscar Wilde, who said: “With age comes wisdom.” Or, in other words: “Been there, done that, now let’s take a step back and think factually about this.”
2. You discover what is really important to you. Honestly, I feel like the process of prioritizing will never end, but after finishing graduate school, I know what kind of person I want to be and which passions I want to seriously pursue. Several years ago, I graduated college not knowing where I wanted to go and what I wanted to be or do. After taking time to explore and try different things, I get it now; I get me. Thank. The. Lord.
3. You feel comfortable in your own skin. For years, you grow up being told what to do, who to become, how to live–and that will never change (smh). But I’m no awkward teenager afraid of being boring. I’m not struggling to find my identity or place in the world. Young adulthood is all about pushing and pulling and exploring and stretching, and now I have a better idea of where I belong. I’m forming my own niche in the world and don’t need to fulfill expectations to feel validated. Confidence is key.
4. You learn not to take yourself so seriously. At a younger age, I always felt the need to prove myself, whether it was to prove I was responsible, worthy of respect, or valuable as a contributing member of society. Nowadays, I find myself enjoying life a lot more and feeling a lot less self-pressure to be someone important. I can be serious, I can be childish, I can be weird, I can be normal. Focusing on the positive and being authentic never felt so freeing.
5. You know the real friends that have your back. Cause the ones who were fake left a long time ago when life’s highs and lows got real. It’s tough making friends as an adult, but it makes those friends who’ve stuck with you that much more precious. Having faux friends can be exhausting, and after a certain age, they just don’t cut it. Shoutout to the ones who stayed and the new ones who make time for us.
6. You don’t get caught up in stupid drama. Most of our society correlates youth with stupidity, and–hear me out–it’s kind of true. Not necessarily because we are stupid (though that may be the case), but because we can get so melodramatic and impatient about decisions. Now, I got no time for that drama. I’m in or I’m out, and I don’t make decisions just based on feelings or YOLO anymore (most of the time). And honestly, when drama does happen (as is inevitable), I’ve learned to be patient and let it roll off my shoulder or stand up for myself because I know my worth.
7. You foster better work habits. When I started working at eighteen, a job was just something to support myself in college. I wanted it to be convenient and on campus where I could walk to it. After graduating and moving into more serious jobs and responsibilities, I started building a different work ethic. The first couple of years, I missed shifts or came in late because I overslept, but as time went on I built better work habits and became more responsible with managing my time. Now I feel more confident in my skills and abilities, and I know what I’m capable of and don’t feel as stressed out about making mistakes.
8. You have hindsight (and sometimes foresight). We can all learn from good and bad experiences, and the older we get, the more experience we have to reference. It’s nice exploring while we’re young and I still think everyone should have a chance to do it, but it feels better having at least a little bit of our ish together.