Forever 21

Today Matt’s niece turns 21. (Happy Birthday, Maggie!!) She is now, according to law, a full-fledged legal adult, with all the rights and responsibilities thereto. Matt and I were married when she was only 8, so it’s been fun watching her mature and come “into her own” over the past 13 years.

But that set me to thinking….

Would I want to be 21 again??

When I was 21, I graduated from college, worked at summer camp, took my first full-time teaching job, had back surgery, got my own apartment, had my own car, served on the leadership team for the college/young singles group at church, and wore a size 12. Adjusting to life as an adult was something I had to do, but it certainly wasn’t easy. There were a lot of adjustments as I learned to be my own person and find my own way in the world. There were lots of fun times, and I formed some really special friendships. But there were some hard times, too – sometimes a result of my naievete, sometimes due to my stubbornness, sometimes a consequence of poor judgement. My life at that time could have been an open book, but I knew my path was pretty well scripted out. I was firmly convinced that where I was was where God wanted me, had planned for me to be, and had prepared me to be.

But would I want to be 21 again?

Sure, it’s tempting. To have the chance to correct what went wrong, to do things differently and take some risks, to do the things I wish now I would have done. But at the cost of missing out on what my life has been: experiencing the unconditional love and acceptance I have with Matt, the opportunity to teach the students in each of my classes, the wonderful friends I have shared life with along the way – each one precious to me, the miracle of my own children, and the richness of life’s experiences? No way.

But about that size 12….yeah, I could go for that.