A number of things have made me conscious that I am no longer a young person. In addition to being one to two brackets above the 18-25 age range on any given survey or form, I’ve also noticed that any interest I may have had in new things like TikTok, fashion, and going out in general, is fast waning. I drink less and often find myself quietly chuckling at the naïveté of others.
I could go on. Basically all of this is a little depressing. I am not old enough to feel old. I miss my former sense of invincibility*, of having the world at my feet.
What has helped me this year is focusing on learning new things without necessarily mastering new things, and delighting in new things that I had become accustomed to glossing over. I suspect the act of delighting in things is a critical part of the childlikeness that Jesus talks about.
I don’t know if I’ve been extra intentional about trying new things this year or if I’m simply more conscious of it, but somehow I’ve somehow found myself in a growth phase. As a result, I kind of feel reenergised.
Here are some of the things I’m learning, relearning or have done for the first time this year:
1. I bought a keyboard and have been working on my improv piano skills – a resolution I’m proud to say is still going strong five months into the year
2. I’ve been listening to the Coffee Break Swedish podcast and learning more about the Swedish language (going less strong if I’m honest)
3. I went to Japan for the first time
4. While in Japan, I went skiing for the second time and have improved my skills
5. I competed in a gaming tournament for the first time – a women-only Age of Empires II tournament, in case you were wondering
6. I just signed up for a short online course about architecture
7. I’ve migrated this site from WordPress.com to (self-hosted) WordPress.org and am in the process of updating and refreshing the look and functionality – excuse any bugs!
8. I’m getting ready to move to a new town for the winter
It was interesting hearing on Sunday that early Christians didn’t call themselves Christians – that was the label others gave them. No, early Christians called themselves disciples and ultimately being a disciple is about being a learner. Learning from Jesus.
There is no end point to that, at least in this lifetime. So even as I’m learning and relearning skills like what I’ve described above, I’m reminded that I also need to continue to learn from Jesus. That’s less about skill acquisition (if only I could learn to turn water to wine and walk on water!) and more about character. Things like giving grace, practising humility, serving others, speaking words of salt and light. These, too, are things I want to be intentional about growing in and learning this year.
*Okay, if I’m honest, I still feel invincible a bit – just not when I have pains in my body or when leaving the house feels like a chore.
It strikes me that this reflection is quite the shift from my posts eight years ago, titled Almost-no-longer-twenty-something and still twentynothing.
Header image: Sean Kong.
