This Summer I turned 25, and long before I blew my pink candles I could feel turning 25.
“The prefrontal cortex is known to be the higher-order association center of the brain as it is responsible for decision making, reasoning, personality expression, maintaining social appropriateness, and other complex cognitive behaviors.” (NIH)
I can assure you that this is exactly what happens. It feels like this gradual shift, happening backstage. Your grey matter cools down and expands. Until one day, you realize there’s this weight that’s been lifted off your shoulders, things don’t seem so intense…the end of teenage extremism, perhaps ?
I am now in my mid-twenties (yikes), here we go:
Your girlfriends can act as echo chambers. You most likely share many similarities and therefore won’t challenge each other’s perspective too often. Take every advice with a grain of salt - especially when it comes to dating - even mine. ;)
Changing your mind doesn’t mean abandoning your beliefs. It isn’t a sign of failure, or that your “feeble mind” fell prey to manipulation. We’re meant to shape-shift.
Men and women function fundamentally different. It’s frustrating, it’s true. It helps to understand the dynamic of each.
Most things lie in the gray area. As comforting as it would be to be able to split life between white and black, humans are too complex for such a restricted view. We are ridiculously gray. Really caring people can act shitty, generous ones can be cheap, the list goes on. Or, as F. Scott Fitzgerald said: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”
Saw this one online quite a bit: “The cost of community is inconvenience. If you want a village, you have to be a villager.”
Everyone will disappoint you and there’s relief in accepting that.
Female friendships are challenging, we’re conditioned to compete. It’s not our fault, but it’s our responsibility to stay aware and aim towards humility and sisterhood. Having a girlfriend who has more knowledge than you in a certain area is a chance, not an issue.
Time is the secret ingredient to the recipe of perspective. Let. It. Cool. down.
Discipline and consistency with your self are signs of self-worth and self-respect.
A nature walk helps everything.
Authenticity is a sign of confidence.
Most often times than not we already know what we like, what we’re drawn to. It’s just a matter of going back to what you didn’t have the courage to cherish before. Growing up I would fill shiny notebooks with very dramatic accounts of my life experiences. Today, I do this. Except it’s better than in 2008 because here and there I get a “So relatable” feedback in the form of text and it makes my day.
The older you get, the more complicated life gets, but the more skilled you become at taking care of yourself.
People with siblings are better at community and compromising. Single children are better at self-preservation (I know, not great).
Looking what sign you have in Mars to help you figure out what forms of exercice is best for you is low-key pretty effective. Going to your workout isn’t supposed to feel awful every time. I wasn’t lazy: I just had my Mars in Cancer! ;)
You do not need to run a marathon in your 20s. It’s o-k-a-y.
I don’t like cardio. I do not enjoy running. Low-impact sports focused on strength, flexibility, and body awareness? Yeah, pure ecstasy.
Insecure people can be harmful: desperate times call for desperate measures.
I am intuitive, not a mind-reader, nor a fucking fortune-teller either.
Some people require time. You peel layers and sometimes there is something there… Most people are one thing. People who are more are the best.
White wine tastes good.
Reading is an excellent anti-depressant.
Smart priviledge is as real as pretty priviledge. Sharp doesn't imply kind. I give the “clever-pass” too often.
I feel like my lessons were better in 2023.
Nostalgia is not always my good friend lol.
Those were hard to gather up, I suppose the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know !! ;)
Love,
Flore Xx
Beautifully written xx