26.

Any time that a time-related milestone occurs, we tend to get into two states: Reflective and Projective.

We begin to reflect on the time that has passed us by, as well as the time that is to come.

One of the most consistent reminders of time passing by is birthdays. With mine being tomorrow, turning 26, I find myself in two trains of time-related thought:

1. A mindset of thankfulness.
   • I find that this mindset is becoming more and more prevalent in my life, for which I am thankful (no joke intended). I typically find myself thankful when my mind is at ease. On a walk, sitting in my chair, praying. These times I am mindful of what I have in those moments and never, ever want to take a single piece for granted. I remind myself constantly how rare it is to be thankful in a society that always strives for more, never satisfied. I believe that peace comes first from the Lord. Providing each of us the opportunity daily to be a light and make a difference. It is not always easy, but it is simple. As I turn 26, it feels like I have 2,000,006 things I am thankful for, and to even be in that position and mindset is something I should add as 2,000,007. My health, my job, my friends, my family, my dog, my shelter, my resources… The Lord is good and I always try my best each day and opportunity to return that good to Him and the world around me. A mindset of thankfulness.
2. Melancholic Nostalgia.
   • When we look back at the time that has passed us by, we often look at it as “how far we have come” or “what all we have overcome” to get to this point. It is amazing how often my mind looks at the experiences I went through, many of them emotionally difficult, to learn what I did, grow, and be who I am today, and my emotional takeaway is “Man, I miss that“…
   • …But why would I? Why would I feel positive emotions towards difficulty, trial, and pain? Well, I think it is another “thankful mindset” that drives this. We do not truly want to go through the experience again, but we see the experience as wildly helpful for making us be our best. We learn, we grow, we are better because of the difficulty, trial, and pain (eventually, anyway). The positive emotions stem from being proud of yourself. As hard as it is sometimes to be proud of ourselves or give ourselves credit, we see those past trials, pains… and know we made it. We are not only OK now, but we are better and it’s over. I find that the older I get, I don’t feel regret. Every choice, every experience… it’s Nelson. If you told me 6 years ago that I would be thankful for some of the things I went through, the choices I made, and became emotionally strong because of them, proud of myself… I’d be in for a whirlpool of tears of joy, as I am writing this message. Melancholic Nostalgia.

I do not have any specific goals for 26. I want to continue to be thankful and reflective. I want to continue to take actions daily that help me become physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and mentally healthier. If I continue to surround myself with those pieces of thankfulness and learning that are present in my life, 26 should be just fine.

Thank you.

NS

“I believe a few words can change your day and your life.”