2 years? Really, 2 years?

as of 1 hour ago, i am officially 25 years old. 25. i remember when that meant that you were... old.

now people are trying to convince me that i'm still young.
i'll take it.

anyways, i thought about this older blog of mine today: http://amyj28.blogspot.com/2004_11_01_amyj28_archive.html becuase for some strange reason i remember the title of it all the time when I think about my birthday. and today i realized... wow, i need 2 boxes of candles now. where did the time go?

i mean i'm obviously using candles as an analogy, who cares, they're a dollar a box right? and whos really going to notice that one extra from the new box?

but i just don't feel like that was two years ago. time is starting to really fly. everyone told me it would. and i guess i didn't believe them until about 73 minutes ago when i reread that blog. wow. 2 years ago i was getting ready to graduate college. i found myself asking... was that really two years ago?

and i started to think about the present... the things that have happened in the past two years of my life.
the things that have changed.
the places i've lived, the things i've accomplished, the things i've failed to accomplish yet.
and the people i've been lucky enough to keep around, all this time.

i love reflection points.

a lot of times they happen for me on birthdays or new years--it's like a little unannounced marking point in life where you actually remember where you were at this point last year... and it's kind of sanitizing in a way to look at your life in hindsight and realize what you've done with it.

what a sustaining thing to be able to do.

i mean we all know we can't change the past... but we can certainly always improve upon our past. better ourselves, better the world, and better the people around us.

i know my life motto might change from time to time, but my newest thing that i think about always is how important it is to leave your mark on this world. i mean, it doesn't have to be a monument in DC, it doesn't have to be handprints in hollywood, or even your name being published somewhere in some small town newspaper. i mean, leave a piece of your character in whatever way you know best. maybe it's by telling unforgettable jokes. maybe it's by writing a bestselling novel, or maybe it is by becoming a senator or a moviestar... that's up to each one of us. all i know is this: there's no better time than now to start leaving a mark.... and the thing is, we probably all already are, without even knowing it.

it's been a wonderful year once again, and i'm extremely thankful for my family and friends, who honestly, help me through every hard day, and even every easy day, just by taking my mind off the daily grind. i can't imagine my life any differently than it is at this point, and i know i'm so lucky for that. and to be loved. and remembered on my birthday.

here's to twenty-five wonderful years.