Turning the big 20

Tomorrow, I turn 20. I’m off down to Bournemouth with Chris for the weekend for a well-deserved break. Now in the media, turning 30 is always a dreaded milestone (one I completely disagree with)- it’s almost like as soon as you turn 30, you’re getting "past it" and need to take an early retirement. All other ages seem irrelevant. I remember reading an amazing article by Olivia Wilde about how you should embrace turning 30 and that actually, 30 is just a number. It shouldn't stop you from doing the things you’ve dreamed of.

Now I know I’m not 30, but when I turned 19, something really struck me. It was my last year of being a teenager…and that really freaked me out. I had thrived in my 18^th year, so the prospect of no longer being a teenager seemed strange. It’s not just a year older; it’s a whole category older! And I sure as hell didn’t like that idea.

The looming 2-0 didn’t hold me back during 19. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought: I watched this little blog blossom before my eyes, I experienced Fashion Week for the first time, met some amazing blogging and acting friends, took part in some awesome acting projects that made me feel like I have taken two steps forward in my career, saw Frequencies get released to the world (I still pinch myself about how much people love it), and did my first interview as an actress. I also met Chris (I suppose he’s alright ;)), and grew more confident in myself and my abilities. So I suppose I didn’t do too badly!

But now that I turn 20 in less than a day's time, it’s hit me smack bang in the face again. I’m going to be an adult *yuk* which is so bizarre because I’m mentally about 5. I think it’s hit my mum a bit too- to realise that you gave birth to this little thing two decades ago is not something to be laughed at.

But after a long while thinking about it, I stopped thinking about it. So what?! I can’t do anything about it. I can’t turn back the clocks and freeze time so I can stay a teenager forever. That just ain’t happening. I’ve come out of it realising that I need to embrace the next 10 years as much as I’ve embraced the last 10. I want to achieve so many things in my life, and a number isn’t going to hold me back. And I can stay 5 in my head for as long as I want to J

Let me know if you’ve ever thought this about getting older, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Gx