As a 25-year-old woman who has absolutely no clue how her life will turn out, but is trying her best to weave her way through her twenties, I wanted to share my journey. But I also wanted to share some stories of other people trying through their twenties, so I decided to interview my peers. I wanted this to be a safe space where we can talk about our failures, our triumphs, and our anxieties as we learn to be full-fledged adults in an ever-changing society. I hope these honest conversations will help you feel a little less alone. We’re all doing our best.

To kick it off, I wanted to share my answers. Vulnerability invites vulnerability, so it’s only fair.

A conversation with Me, Age 25

Profession and Place of Residence

Freelancer and Upcoming Graduate Student living in Nashville, TN

Are you where you pictured yourself at age 25?

Not even close lol! I think when I was younger I figured I’d be married or in a serious relationship at this point and would have a better idea of what I’m doing with my life. I also don’t think I would have pictured myself living in a city.

What has been the biggest triumph of your twenties so far?

Getting a job straight out of college in the field I went to school for. Especially graduating during a pandemic, options were limited so I was so glad that my work ethic shined through during my internship and they were willing to hire me full-time. Being able to be financially independent living in the city I wanted to be in was a great feeling and something I am definitely proud of.

What has been something that didn’t quite work out in your twenties so far?

Getting laid off at the beginning of the year. It was completely unexpected and threw me for a loop. I think I wasn’t really dealing with all my emotions surrounding being let go and it caused me to kind of lose who I was and wanted to be for a little over a month. I’m now turning that disappointment into an opportunity but it definitely took some time to get to a better headspace.

Are you in the industry/job you pictured yourself in? Where do you ultimately see yourself in your career?

I was in the industry I pictured myself in before getting laid off but as I mentioned in my first post back my idea of where I’m going is a little unknown. I just found out I was accepted to grad school at Pace University and will be diving into learning more about film/TV production and writing. Making an industry switch is honestly a little terrifying but I think it would be a fulfilling change. My dream job would be to write or produce book adaptations so that I could combine my love of all the storytelling mediums and hopefully help make book adaptions that fans of the novels can love instead of cringe at, which I feel happens most of the time haha! For now, I’m hoping to freelance in digital marketing for the book industry or do remote literacy tutoring to make money while I go to school.

Relationship Status? Biggest dating dos and don’ts for you in this phase of your life?

Status: Very single

DO: Only date if you are ready to date. It wastes your time and their time if you aren’t in a place mentally or emotionally to put effort into it. I haven’t actively dated for about a year because I wanted to work on my own self-esteem/mindset before actively trying again. I am feeling like I’m ready now so who knows maybe I’ll start swiping haha! Ideally, I’ll just bump into the love of my life at a bookstore or something though.

DON’T: Ignore red flags. I feel like a lot of times we watch our friends in relationships and want to experience that as well, so we brush past the couple of red flags we see in order to have someone. The issue with that is those red flags will always cause more issues down the road. So don’t waste your time. Also, don’t be afraid to have standards, even ones that seem ridiculous to others. It’s your life, so you get to decide what you are looking for. An example of mine: If I see Kanye West in your top artists on your profile or your entire personality is hiking, I will swipe left lol.

What is an adulting anxiety you’ve had in your twenties?

Making appointments. I HATE phone calls and I have social anxiety so the act of making appointments for all the adult things like the dentist, doctor, hair appointments, insurance, etc, is the worst. It’s a small thing and I do accomplish the task but man do I wish I didn’t have to do that. Also, the constant fear that I’ve forgotten to pay for something. I haven’t ever actually missed a payment on anything important, but I’m always anxious about it anyway haha!

If you could invite five fictional characters to a dinner party who would they be and why?

1. Pippi Longstocking from Pippi Longstocking: She would 100% liven things up
2. Ove from A Man Called Ove: I’d love to see the dynamic between a grouchy old man with a heart of gold and an off the wall, independent, pig-tailed little girl
3. Celia from The Night Circus: She could bring a little magic to the party and I think she would enjoy a night away from the circus she is tied to
4. Daisy Jones from Daisy Jones and The Six: She could provide musical entertainment and bring countless stories (although we may have to cover Pippi’s ears for some of them lol)
5. Veronica from How the Penguins Saved Veronica: An older woman who makes me laugh and who I might be able to play matchmaker with between her and Ove

If aliens came down to earth and you could only use three objects you possessed to describe your life to them, what would you show them?

1. A book (Maybe Phantom Tollbooth which kind of explores the English language and how wacky it can be, plus it is one of my all-time favorites)
2. A coffee mug (one with a little personality or a pun so it gives them a sense of who I am, but also just denotes my love of a comforting cup of coffee)
3. My car key (And I would relay to them my love of driving and listening to music, the love of having the freedom to visit family, all of the memories that are forever kept inside the confines of Bailey-my car’s name haha! If you don’t name your car, what are you even doing?)

What obscure TV show or movie instantly brings you back to your childhood?

Ok, the two that come to mind immediately in terms of “obscure” would be The Big Comfy Couch and Strawberry Shortcake. I was obsessed with those shows when I was little haha! The clock exercise on Big Comfy Couch was everything. I was so obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake that my first usernames for things was “strawberryrachh.” They’ve changed the look of Strawberry Shortcake over the years but I will always see her in the animation style of my time. Her hat is simply iconic.

If you could see five years into the future would you do it or would you rather not know what’s coming?

I think I want to be surprised. Hopefully the next five years are filled with good things, and I want to be able to experience that growth and those moments for the first time as they happen. But man would I be tempted!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little bit better and I look forward to you getting to know all of our upcoming interviewees! I’d love to talk with you about your answers so let us know what your life looks like in the comments below.

Rachel (: