on turning 26

we were in hilton head on vacay the day i turned 26.
the day before, i took a little stroll along the beach,
by myself, with a drink in hand.

on that walk, i thought a lot about being 25.
on what i had done & not done during the year.
on how, when i was younger, i always thought of 25 as being old.
& now, i was standing on the brink of being 26 & even older.
it was kind of a depressing walk, really.

so i returned to our umbrella, picked up another beer & tried again.

this time i thought about how lucky i have gotten over the past 25 years.

i suppose it all started with having great parents.
i spent summers as a child at the lake, camps & reading under tall shady trees.
i had the most amazing college experience. hands down.
i still have the best sorority sisters one could ask for.
i met my husband, randomly, at a concert at the ripe age of 21.
& never looked back.
we tied the knot shortly after i was 24 & bought a house later that year.

how did i get so lucky, all before the age of 25?
sure, there were dark times & there always will be.
but i still count myself pretty lucky.

as my walk was winding down {i.e. i was almost done with my beer}
i stopped & looked down at my feet snuggled in the sand.
& i realized again just how good i had & have it.
so how do i get so lucky in my next 25 years?

i took in the moment, smiled & saved that question for another day.
& to commemorate my last day of being 25,
i pulled the next beer from the cooler & partook in a little "cheers" to my life.
what a perfect way to, shall we say, put an end to an era & sail into the sunset.

photo via from me to you: summers end in southampton