For the past couple of years, I’ve done a list on my birthday, of things I have learned, equating to the number I’m turning. This year is 25, and while that is somewhat scary, to think I’ve spent a quarter of my life already, I know each experience, relationship, and trial has occurred for a reason to get me to this moment.

For that I am grateful.

So without further ado….

My mother always said she knew I was happy when I was singing. Singing when waltzing around the house, humming in the car, and belting songs amidst cooking or when playing piano. It surely annoyed the hell out of my sister (sorry, Avery) but nevertheless—that’s how my family could identify that I was truly happy and content. 

So when I was walking the cobblestone streets of London at dusk, sitting by the Thames river with a cider in hand or drawing peacefully near a lush green park—I found myself subtly humming and thought of my mother. Knowing that was my sign of happiness—that I was truly and fully content.

Being an all A student in high school, the letter “B” still gives me the shivers and leads me to question my abilities. When I read the notes as to why I was given the grade, I was even more aghast. My professors reasoning for the B? 

“Show more process. You’re focusing on the product instead of process.” 

There were moments I struggled with my own comfort zone. Struggling moments that could be as simple as speaking a language I didn’t know (even though I was terrified of butchering the words). Yet I found ways to push through my comfort zone and expand my boundaries. My everyday tendencies had the most impact in the end, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.