Feeling 22

I've never been a big Taylor Swift fan, but there was a day that I could sing "Picture to Burn" with all the bitter venom of the next girl.  Her songs were, quite simply, relatable.

When I first heard her newest song, 22, I thought it was catchy.  It was teenage angst moved into the next generation...the anthem of the single twenty-somethings stuck somewhere between the free-from-responsibility life of college and adulthood.  Sounded good.

And then I realized that I was 22 when my son was born.  For me, twenty-two didn't mean making fun of my exes or falling in love with strangers.  I wasn't "happy, free, confused, and lonely".

I realize I wasn't exactly the typical twenty-two year old.  I had been married two years, had a college degree, a mortgage, two dogs, and a baby on the way.

To some that may sound terribly sad.  They may feel like I wasted my years of freedom and tied myself down too early.  In many ways, they're right.  I never studied abroad, worked my way up the career ladder, or spent a year on the mission field.  Twenty-two, for me, didn't look like twenty-two for the rest of the world.

And that's okay.  

You see, twenty-two looks like something different for everyone, simply because God has different paths for all of us.  For me, His path was getting married and starting a family young.  It didn't include years of singleness and crazy experiences.

But lest you start feeling sorry for me, I want you to know that I really am a happy twenty-something.  I love feeling young and carefree and trying new things.  I'm blessed to have a husband who works hard to support us, so that I can have the time to both take care of my handsome little guy and pursue all sorts of interests in my free time.  Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I feel happier and freer than I ever have.  I know I'm right where God wants me.  I dream, and I see those dreams realized.  My days are simple, but incredibly rich and full.  My husband and I go on lots of crazy adventures...just with a baby in tow.

Yes, I'm a mom and a wife.  But I am not in bondage.  You see, true joy and freedom can only be found when you are right in the center of God's plan for you.  And that's where I am.

As crazy as it sounds, it's possible to embrace both the responsibility and carefree spirit of being twenty-two.  I know, I've lived it.

And so I embrace who I am today.

I am a wife and a mom.  But I'm also twenty-something.