Progress.

Yesterday, to my surprise, I had a really good friend call me to check on me and to tell me about an experience he had the other day.  His story made me so happy!  I was happy for him, the accomplishments he's made, and how far he's come in the last year.  

I'm not sure what it is but lately, for some reason, I have a really hard time at simply being happy for other people.  hmm.. That might have come out wrong.  Yes, I am 100% happy for him and I'm happy when other friends and family tell me about their successes, but sometimes it turns into a "why am I not in that place?"  (this could be personally, spiritually..whatever.  Somehow I usually end up critiquing my own life and where I am because that's just how I do.)

Don't worry, this doesn't turn into a Pity party because that's not what I'm all about.  However, my friend said some really great things to me that made me have a paradigm shift.

I told him that I never pictured myself being almost 25 and backpedaling when it comes to certain aspects of my life.  He then went on to say something that I haven't really thought about in the 9 months or so since it's been really bothering me.  He said, "Jenn, I don't see it as backpedaling."  He went on to say that as we get older our life situations change.  We live in new places, meet new people, form different ideas and beliefs and simply change and grow as a person.  Just because things aren't the exact same way as they used to be, it doesn't mean that we aren't still good people or capable of doing great things.  Sometimes we just lose sense of our priorities for a minute.  Maybe we shouldn't look at it as backpedaling because through each experience we go through, we learn.  If we are learning, we are progressing.  And if we are learning through our mistakes and trials and learning means progressing then we for sure can't be going backwards.  (phew) Make sense?

So...it might feel like we are going backwards for a little while..but we have to try to be less critical of ourselves and remember that we are just trying to figure out our own crap like everyone else.  For some of us, some of the little lessons may take longer to figure out, or won't come until we are mid twenties, or later.  Whatever the case, we just need to take each experience as a time to learn and grow.

I loved this pep talk just as much as I love this friend. Of course after great words of advice and a few tears (on my part) he ended making fun of a certain situation and making me laugh.  

Isn't that what friends are for?  Listening, caring, giving advice and then laughing at you for it. :)