Louis Michael: Are your twenties the most fun?
My twenties seem to be turning out to be a rather magical time. Granted, I’m only five months into my third decade, but already I’m starting to spot trends and patterns that seem to promise an interesting next ten years.
More than anything I’m seeing so much creativity. Everyone’s hitting their strides, getting stuck into what they want to do with their lives, and starting down paths that we’re all seeing clearly for the first time. Undoubtedly there’s an element of unknowability, because the careers we’re carving out for ourselves may very well be completely unrelated to what we end up actually doing later in life. But the enthusiasm and passion that everyone is pouring into their work is so refreshing to see. After so long stuck in the grind of school, where motivation and inspiration are as rare as the A’s they’re attached to, it’s so uplifting to be reminded of the fervour in us all.
But I’m noticing something else, even more important. It seems like everyone’s settling into themselves. We all know that our teen years are infamously turbulent, but for those whose teens were less recent you may have forgotten how turbulent they can get. Try and remember what it was like when your life was a lethal mixture of school, hormones, and new sensations, all while battling with emotions that are constantly running on overdrive.
The initial shock of independent existence has subsided
Your newfound sense of autonomous identity overwhelms everything you do as you try to get to grips with who you are outside of your home and your family, and while trying to navigate that disaster zone you also have to successfully steer through all the new experiences that teenagehood throws your way (hint: think sex, drugs and rock and roll.)
Understandably, now we’ve finally escaped that nightmare period and lived to tell the tale the sense of relief is palpable. The initial shock of independent existence has subsided, so now we just have to spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out who we are as independent people: great.
Despite how daunting that seems, looking at my position objectively it looks less like an uphill climb and more like an epic journey. After spending the previous decade struggling with myself, I’m excited to start becoming friends with myself. The only thing that’s really worrying me is that everyone says your twenties are the best time of your life. The pressure’s on to have fun.
