“Life doesn’t end at 25. Stop acting like it does.”

I read this quote this morning and it stopped me in my tracks.

I’ll never forget the day I turned 26. I’ve spoken about it many times in the decades since. I turned 26 and thought . . .

No longer can I blame a stupid decision on my youth. 

I must act reasonably mature going forward. 

Life will never be the same. 

To add fuel to the fire, I had recently discovered that I was expecting our first child. It was a double whammy . . . amplified by hormones.

Looking back, I don’t know why I thought there was some magic cutoff point.

As if it’s “normal” to be immature if you’re 25 and 364 days. But turn 26 and you must instantly be settled and sophisticated.

As if one day it’s just fine to act like a bumbling idiot . . . no one expects much more. But the next day, the idiocy must immediately and permanently come to an end? 

Ridiculous!

The remainder of the “Life doesn’t end at 25” quote . . .

Normalize discovering and chasing new dreams after 30’s.

Normalize finding love in your 40’s.

Normalize finding yourself and your purpose in your 50’s.

Growth, curiosity, delight aren’t limited.

To my 26-year-old self . . .

Turning 26 was not an ending to be mourned.

It was a beginning.

An awakening.

An evolution.

A story still being written.