Aotearoa Diaries: When I'm 64

Lately, reality has been starting to sink in that I'm heading towards the end of my twenties (granted there's still about twenty-ish months). One of the things that has hit together with that reality check is the thought that I don't want to get to my thirties and regret not having done things that later in life I can look back and say, "Back when I was young and stupid..."

Oh, don't get me wrong. I've done lots of young and stupid things, but nothing significantly memorable. And I don't mean that I've hit quarter-/mid-life crisis and want to go get a motorbike license or dye my hair purple. But I do sort of mean that I do want to go get a motorbike license and dye my hair purple. After all, Hashtag YOLO, right? (#YOLO - You Only Live Once)

I guess what I mean is... From time to time, I've looked around and wondered what other twenty-somethings are doing, particularly considering that in my last two jobs that spanned most of the last decade, I mostly worked with people who were in completely different life-stages from me. I'm too introverted for the clubbing scene, and care too little about becoming famous to over-achieve at any accolades that the world would care about, and it seemed those were the only things I hear other twenty-somethings do.

Then this past weekend I caught a glimpse of something different.

This past weekend was spent with a number of other young leaders in ministry in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand. I learnt that in your twenties, you also...
... live with the #YOLO mantra
... take too many selfies
... begin stepping up more fully into responsibilities
... find things you're passionate about and pursue them in spite of obstacles and those trying to convince you you won't succeed
... laugh a lot
... don't take life too seriously
... can take God seriously without having a middle-aged outlook on life

I guess, perhaps, coming out of my season of burnout and depression, it has been a tremendously refreshing weekend finding out it's ok to want to live a life where I can one day look back and say, "back when I was young and stupid..."
That it's ok to "waste time" taking too many photos and creating memories with people you may only cross paths with about once a year.
That it's ok to want to live a carefree life that doesn't involve kids, a life-partner, or the search for one.

And maybe all I can say at the end of my twenties is that I was young and stupid to realise too late that there were ways to be young and stupid without also being irresponsible to my vocation. But at least, I have about twenty-ish months to make up for that. That's not too late, I reckon.