Getting Old or Growing Up?

Today marks my 24th birthday. Turning this age is really weird: I feel like I'm too old for many of the things that college kids do, yet I feel like I'm not old enough to not be not be associated with that age group. 

Of course many would disagree: I'm greeted with marriage proposals on my Facebook and Instagram a lot more frequently. What's alarming to me is that many of these people are no more than a year or two older than me, if not the same age. It's definitely a feeling of happiness seeing these couples, don't get me wrong! But at the same time I find myself looking at the rings on the left hands and thinking about how I am nowhere near such a thing happening in my life. 

You're told to enjoy your youth, and I think it's true! But here's what scares me: am I growing up, or am I just getting old? Is the enjoyment of youth supposed to be the simultaneous growth in maturity, or are the memories from this age reflected on in a good light because of the immaturity that one has at this age?

I've been asking older people what they remember about being 24. Most people I've run into say something along the lines of "24 was a good year." But I realized something: 24 was a good year for many reasons, depending on the person. Some were in school, others were in a relationship, others were working, others were single. And yet they all looked back on 24 fondly. 

So where does that put me? I'm single, work 40+ hours a week, and try to have fun during the weekends and occasionally weeknights as long as it doesn't interfere too much with my sleep schedule. In other words: my life seems rather boring. Am I squandering this youth that those older than me look at with envy? 

23 marked my first entire year of not being a resident of California. It marked one whole year of my life working full-time. It marked the first time having a roommate disaster (cops, anyone?) and a bunch of other experiences. It's funny how I only realize how many firsts I had even at 23!

As anxious as I sound, I'm honestly not really. Learning is incremental, and just like many other things, it's one of those things you don't realize how much you've gained until you take a look back at where you once were. 

So here's to 24, a new year of learning, a new year of adventures, and a new year of experiences in life. Who knows what it'll bring? :)