27.

In the midst of all the craziness going on with my family, I never wrote a birthday post.

So I'm 27 now. I spent some time reflecting on what that means, exactly. The conclusion I came to? It doesn't really mean anything. Except that maybe I am classified as "late twenties" now. Other than that, it's really just a number.

I can tell you what a lot of people THINK 27 means. They think it means I should be married, or at least engaged. They think it means I am too old to listen to Taylor Swift. They think it means I should own a home.

I'm not married. I am happily dating my boyfriend and we ::gasp:: don't have plans to get married...at least not yet. We don't even live together, and we may not be ready to live together for a while yet. I jam to Tay Tay on the daily. I rent a house with two other roommates. I don't always pay my bills on time.

Just because I am not "grown up" according to society's standards does not mean I haven't grown up, though. In the last year, I have overcome a food addiction, quit my first "big girl job" for a new position at a much better organization, bought my first car, learned how to cook, dealt with the stress of having a parent with cancer, chose family and friends over concerts or social outings, and gotten a handle on my 10 year battle with anxiety and depression. Oh, and while doing all of that, I also managed to lose nearly 75 lbs. Can't those things count towards my "grown up" status? I think that they should.

27 doesn't have to mean it's time to settle down. Hell, 57 doesn't have mean it's time to settle down. What matters is how you are living out your passion, how you are treating other people and how you are treating yourself. As long as you continue to challenge yourself, to push yourself, to accept that not every moment is going to be perfect, you are growing up.

I'm going to make 27 amazing. It's my only chance to be this age. I have to make an impression. I can't let time waste around me. I have to live every day as if I do not have a tomorrow. I don't want to watch life pass me. I want to be part of it. And no one is going to stop me.

Here's to 27, to living my best life, and to anyone who is still growing up.