"The thing that will screw up your 20's the most is thinking that you should already have it all together."
The number of times I have pinned, liked, retweeted and Instagrammed this particular quote is a bit excessive. But whenever I see someone post it, I feel the need to show my support with a quick click or comment, maybe a share of my own.
See, as a married woman in my early 20's, I often feel as if I should have it figured out. Shouldn't my hair be perfectly Texas-coiffed, my makeup be pristine (even in the heat), my outfit match & my house be spotless? At this point, shouldn't I have a degree and a career path?
I look at my friend's social media posts and they look so chic while enjoying their weekends in Vegas and vacations in Maui, while my husband & I are counting change to make it to Dallas for a family event, and I start to feel inadequate.
Why aren't we one of those color-matching, party-hosting, rarely-hassled couples? Will we ever be? Is it possible to be a woman who constantly looks (and feels) put-together?
And then this quote pops up again. A gentle reminder that perfection is a journey that no one will ever finish. A tiny blip of reality that says, "You're not the only one without air conditioning in your car." A warm emotion that spreads through you like wine on an empty stomach- You're still learning. It's okay.
So here's a shout-out to my friends who don't have it together.
If your nails aren't manicured perfectly, if you didn't wear makeup today, if you have so much student debt you want to puke- Here's to you. Here's to the friends who can't imagine spending $300 on a purse in their current budget. The friends who are just hoping they can have enough left over for laundry quarters this month. The friends who are unsure of whether or not it's normal to fight this much in their marriage. The youths who are angry at the government and don't really know what to do about it yet.
Here's to us. Here's to hanging up clothes after wearing them because they aren't dirty yet. Here's to paying for Netflix and not cable. Here's to napping when you should be cleaning because you're overwhelmed.
It's all good- We can figure it out together.
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