Didn't I just turn 25 and have my 'Quarter Life Crisis'? Was that even a crisis? I was more tripping out about where my life was, I think. For those of you who know me, 26 was a cluster-ball-buster, and, though I would rather wipe it from the books completely, there was so much outside drama happening I was unable to process anything internally.
What have I accomplished?
How far have I come?
Who am I?
Add about a dozen more questions, the last being; "By whose standards?"
Here are some things that others accomplished at the age of 27:
-Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. dropped out from his job at General Electric to become a full-time writer.
-Henry David Thoreau went off for two years to live alone in a cabin at Walden Pond.
-Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space.
-Memphis millionaire Frederic W. Smith founded Federal Express.
-Scottish botanist David Douglas discovered the Douglas fir.
-Ernest Hemingway published his first novel, The Sun Also Rises.
-Boston dentist William Morton pioneered modern anaesthesiology after learning that inhalation of ether will cause a loss of consciousness.
-Conceptual artist Piero Manzoni crapped in 90 small cans which were then factory sealed and offered for sale at the price of gold.
Even the conceptual artist did something worth mentioning! It's not as if I haven't accomplished anything, I know I have lived leaps and bounds beyond many people my age, and even some twice my age, but it leaves me wondering... Does it matter, and if it does, do I give a half a damn? What do I care if someone my age owns a condo and has been at the same job for 5 years? I lived in Europe, shot with some of the most revered photographers in the world, met countless fascinating people and kissed the stars. Take that, Manzoni!
I have discovered that judging oneself requires a certain sense of consideration of the surroundings. For example, you can own a 2500 sq. ft. home in the south for under $200k... or you can own a condo at 1/3 the size for 3x the price in Los Angeles. Those of us living in major metropolitan areas shouldn't be judged against the same standards as those living in the burbs, there is no circumstantial level playing field. I feel the same is true for most circumstances, even one's career choice alters completely the standards by which they are judged. In the advertising industry, no one- literally- gets married before they are 35. Women in the South go to college to obtain their MRS degree. (Can't take credit for the marriage joke, but it's my favorite.) I think it's safe to say that judging where a life is based on age is pretty much approaching pointless. Aside from having a job, not living in your parents' basement while playing LAN games all day with guys wearing PacMan shirts, there isn't much else one can ask of an individual. Live your life, that's all one can do. If you're not busy living, you're busy dying.
At 26 years and 364 days old/young, I can honestly say that even though I don't own a home, have a solid savings account, a husband, kids or a solid career path like my grandfather before me, I cannot help but feel accomplished and happy. Yes, I have work to do and things to change, but overall this short, wild ride we call life is not going to be reviewed by the Accomplishment Gods on a checklist-style grading curve. If anything, it will be how full our hearts are, how exciting our stories are and our battle scars- those acquired and self-inflicted. I love every one of mine.
The souls we lost at 27- Pope John XII, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, athlete/soldier Patrick Tillman, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and James Morrison- goes to show that there is no set standard or guarantee of "one day"... Perhaps my "Holy shit, I'm 28..." blog entry will bode boasting of my survival, and that of legendary stories. Cheers to old age. xx.a
I've told the stories to you before. When asked what friends had achieved at 40 vs. what we had, I pointed out one friend's goal in life was to not work for a company, to be his own boss. He is 55 and hasn't worked directly for a company since he was 22 or 23. The equity in his company is about what I have in my house now.
ReplyDeleteMy other friend tried to be a musician. At 40 he was still playing in bands. But he had worked at music stores and taught himself to play Bach's Tocatta Fugue in Dm (the Haunted Mansion piece) by ear and taught himself MIDI and was an early ground breaker in personal computers with music before Apple got involved. He still is in music today.
Don't place goals based on others nor judge yourself on other's ideals. You know when you've done what's right and what your best is. Always trust your inner voice.