The year 2030 sounds like an eternity away; even the number itself looks futuristic to me. That year will mark the beginning of a new decade while also being the ten-year anniversary of the historic event of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be a decrease in 2000s parties and a rise in 2010s parties, filled with Gen Alphas wearing clothes I wore in middle and high school. Yes, 2030 may sound far away, but the reality is it’s only 1…2…3… 4…5 years away. Instead of being 21 years old, I will be 26, and instead of college assignments being due, I will have college loans due.
2030
At 26, my frontal lobe is going to be fully developed, so the excuse of being young and dumb won’t fly anymore, and I will have to start using retinal creams to prevent wrinkles. If these things sound a little scary, I am sorry to break it to you, but welcome to adulthood. Despite all of these slightly not-so-exciting factors, I’m actually super excited about the age of 26. More specifically me at the age of 26.
Embracing The Unknown
The years between 21 and 26 will be life-changing for me because I have big plans. In that short time frame, I will transition from the bubble of college into the real world. But that is it; well, that is all that I can tell you. If I want to be honest, I can’t tell you where I am precisely going to be in five years. I mean, I can guess, but I have a better chance of telling you what gender my first child is going to be. For the record, I won’t know any time soon. Yet I am still excited and fully prepared for the unknown, the change, and the unpredictability. I don’t want my 20s to follow a script—I want it to be an adventure. To do things I haven’t done and see things I never thought I would. I am not saying I don’t have a plan; I am just not limiting myself to one.
One Girl, Many Versions
Carmen Watts, age 26, moved to San Francisco and works in Public relations, living in a cute light blue house. Carmen Watts, age 26, moved to NYC, working in a corporate communications role and renting an apartment in Chelsea. Carmen Watts, age 26, living in Houston, engaged, working in Public relations, and has a house with two dogs. All these versions of myself can be me in 2030, and I will be grateful for any of those scenarios or other ones I can’t even imagine. As long as I stay true to myself and my goals, whatever timeline I fall in will be great. So yes, I am excited to live my next mysterious plot.
Carmen Watts 