The "PRIME" of Your Life

My 20s... Everyone keeps telling me these are "the best years of your life". "Live it up while you still can". Honestly, when people tell me this, I get scared. It also makes me want to prove them wrong. Surely, I cannot deny that these years have been some of the best of my life, but I think it a fallacy that getting old makes you less content. Or at least you can make it a fallacy... it's like a self fulfilling prophecy! Physically yes, we might be at our prime in our twenties, but mentally, you can be sure I'll be living it up until grandmahood.

I read Dan's blog. His is full of incite and he's very good at analyzing ("analySing" in Australian) his experiences. So far I feel like I have just been telling stories, which isn't bad, but I guess I should share some of the things that I think I have learned... because as I have been told, these ARE the best years of my life and this is supposed to be a life changing experience.

First and foremost, I have always thought that you should never take life too seriously. Only, I really get to apply that here in Australia. Ready for the cliche? Here it goes: "life is too short" to worry about pleasing everyone, finish every reading assignment, hold a grudge, not be the first to say hello, not go skinny dipping, not eat that piece of chocolate or not tell someone you love them. So cliche... but rather true.

Also, right now I am doing really well sans boy. If you know me well, you know that I have been in many a relationship... which can lead to dependence, reliance blah blah all that stuff. Being devoid of an hombre has been fine! I think it is allowing me to really experience things for myself; strengthening my sense of ME. I feel like I already had a pretty good idea about that, but I guess you can always get to know yourself a little better, ha!

What else... little things don't matter here. Back home, you get the occasional drama (holla back Santa Cruz!). It's really inevitable... small town, same people, it can sometimes create sticky situations. DISCLAIMER: This is not to say that there is no drama in Australia! Only that I have not yet experienced any... DISCLAIMER 2: Of course, I have only been here a month and a half and sometimes it takes time for drama to develop, so yeah, I know, it's really not fair to compare the two. BUT, I am thoroughly enjoying myself here and in the moment, I have virtually no problems, SO I am just gonna go ahead and do it. It's hard to explain anyway... but most people seem to not take life too seriously here. It's like... in the States, people live to work. Everything you do is to find a high paying job for yourself in order to have a big house, fulfill the American Dream (generalization!! but we all know it runs true in some cases... and on varying scales). Here I feel like people work to live... Your job is not your life, just your means to an end... You aren't defined by your job. I don't know if that makes sense really... But this has nothing to do about le drama... Straying from my point!

Basically, people don't stress over things that don't matter here. Being away from home makes me realize (realiSe) how much people let the little petty things get in the way of their contentment... It's like sometimes they can't see the big picture.

What else... being stuffed into an uncomfortable situation can sometimes have a remarkable outcome. You gotta start somewhere...

Meh, now I'm just ranting. I'll be back with a fun and exciting story sometime in the near future...

Peace, love, and um... green beans? I love green beans.

Oh, and have I ever told you that I love YOU?! Ha.