Another Year

Well, today is just a regular day, very much like yesterday and probably similar to tomorrow, too - except that tomorrow will be part of another year.

I'm only 22, and I probably don't have a lot of room to talk about how time has flown since my childhood and say things like, "I remember when..." But even in my 22 short years, the world has changed drastically. I do remember when we didn't have the Internet, although I don't remember what I used to do with my time. But this is getting off track. This blog entry will become way too long if I talk about my 22 years on this planet, so I better just stick to this year that is about to turn into a new one.

I think, when I look back on my life, I'm going to see 2005 as the year that I really grew up. I graduated college, I moved to a foreign country, and I started really considering what my future would be like. Those are things grown-ups do, right? Of course, I still color; I still find that animated movies are my favorite; and I still go to bed sometimes wishing my mom and dad were there to tuck me in and kiss me goodnight. But this year, despite the childhood pleasures that I still cling to and probably will for the rest of my life, I feel like I've made huge steps on the path to adulthood. I've had many experiences, and I've changed a lot; it may even be noticeable from across the globe.

But I know that I'll never be done walking that path. I'll always be growing. It may not ever be quite as visible to the naked eye as it is at this very transitional point in my life, but it will always be happening. And so, as I look back on 2005 and reflect on how far I've come along the path I'm walking, I must also look ahead to 2006 and 2007 and 2008 (wow, I'll be getting old by then!) and beyond to how far I still have to go. But as I do that, I'm going to challenge myself to live fully and completely in each and every beautiful moment that I am given, because, even at 22, I feel like they are passing all too quickly.

Happy New Year!