I'm probably past due on getting another blog up and for that, I apologize. I know how many of you depend on this blog on a weekly basis and I have failed you. :)
This weekend, it is my birthday. And I'm turning 25. Yup. 25. I am officially getting old. According to my dad, a quarter of a century! And apparently, the one thing I was looking forward to about turning 25 (a lower car insurance) is just an urban myth! I'm so disappointed! Now, I know a lot of you - especially anyone older than me - are probably thinking "Psh, 25 is NOT old! You're still young and have plenty of years to go!" And you're right. In all aspects, 25 is still very young. But it's also an age where I am getting older and maybe (if I'm lucky!) more mature. I definitely realize that I have a lot of growing up to still do, but I think I'm off to a good start. I'm sure learning a lot of lessons along the way. So I thought I would take the time to share some of these lessons with all of you.
One of the things I've learned is that the real world is not like college. And maybe colleges need to prepare you more for this reality. For one thing, there are no Outfly's in the real world. For those of you not aware, Outfly is a Wartburg holiday tradition. Once a year (in the fall), the student body president declares a day of the week Outfly. However, nobody knows when the day will come and you don't find out until 6:30 that morning when you are woken up by people yelling and banging on doors. Then all our classes are canceled for the day and instead students can do whatever they like - sleep, go shopping, play in the Outfly golf tournament, enjoy other campus activities and games, etc. It is one of the greatest days of the year to a Wartburg student. :) As alum, you get an email sent to you the day of Outfly as well, which is really just a cruel reminder that you are no longer in college and cannot take a day off to catch up on sleep or enjoy the nice weather. Lesson learned.
Instead of Outfly's and Movie Knights and everything else you get to do in college, the real world is made up of paying bills, budgeting to make sure you have enough money to pay those bills, remembering when to get your oil changed, keeping the apartment clean so it doesn't turn into a bachelor pad when your wife isn't there... so on and so on. Lesson learned.
I'm also learning that work isn't everything. Making a lot of money doesn't make things okay if you're not happy. And making a lot of money doesn't matter when all you want to do is live with your husband. A job is just a job. You can make whatever you want from it - make the most out of any job. And you should - you should always work your hardest at any job you have and be grateful, but you also need to be happy doing it. Staying at a job for the wrong reasons isn't going to solve any problems. You need to do what's best for your happiness. For your marriage. For your life. Lesson learned.
As AJ and I grow together as husband and wife, I'm learning that marriage is not perfect. Okay, I'm not sure that 'learning' is the right term here. Maybe it needs to be 'being reminded'. I think that I was naive when it came to this thought. Marriage is a lot of things, but not perfect. It never is. It never will be. Marriage is hard work. It takes patience and courage. It takes commitment and trust. Marriage is trial and error. It's also a support system. Marriage is something that can make things better or make something easier. Marriage is a beautiful friendship. But all of it - the good and the bad - take some effort. Marriage is not like a fairy tale story. Lesson learned.
Another thing I'm learning is that Sundays are currently the worst day of the week. And every week, it gets harder and harder to say good bye to AJ. We have been fortunate enough to be able to see each other every weekend that we've been apart, even if it's just been for one night. But there is never enough time on the weekends. Not enough time when you try to do all the stuff you couldn't do during the week. Not enough time when you spend a lot of hours on the road getting places. Not enough time to make up all that lost time from the week with your husband. Not enough time when you just want to spend some quality time with your family - who you also don't get to see enough. There is just not enough time and some things have to be pushed until the next weekend. Lesson learned.
So there you have it, 5 lessons I've recently learned. Maybe they've helped you gain some insight for yourself. Or maybe you have some already learned insight that you can share! Whatever the case, we all still have some growing up to do and there will always be lessons to learn.
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