As a newlywed twenty-something, it has become apparent that life is full of expectations. As if the process of planning a wedding wasn’t quite demanding enough, the assumption is that you will get a ‘real’ job, buy a house and create 1 of your 2.4 children on your wedding night. It’s so cliché yet blazé it’s infuriating! You can’t go a day without someone asking “what’s next – children?” or “are you trying yet?” – it’s enough to send anyone with career aspirations running to the hills, and that’s without having to consider the fact that your grandparents are now thinking about you having sex!
Without becoming too political, ‘millenials’ like us have little-to-no chance of striking a work life balance which keeps everyone happy, so I’ve taken the reins and decided to embark on life’s journey doing what makes me happy (after all, you can’t please everybody all of the time)!
When being confronted with the concept of having to decide between what you want and what you need, some suggest making a list of the pros and cons. Personally, I think you could spend years doing this and all you end up with is a long list and no action. A wise man once said “the way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” (Walt Disney) and that is what we’ve done. Sure, my husband and I both work hard in full time jobs to pay the rent, pay the bills and put food on the table, but when all is said and done, what we work for is creating memories. Some people spend their best years scrimping and saving, working all hours of the day and making huge sacrifices just to be able to afford the minimum 5% deposit on a tiny starter home on the outskirts of town. They’re just existing with the hope that one day, after 50 years of maintaining the same enduring lifestyle, they might finally be able to call it their own! I am so thankful that I am a so-called ‘old head on young shoulders’ and have already learned that happiness is in fact the journey, not the destination. I would be the happiest person in the world if I could wake up 50 years from now healthy and surrounded by the ones I love with nothing but a box of old photos and a heart full of memories!
So I challenge you, my friend & fellow fantasist, to take a look around you and consider your answer carefully…
House or holiday?
Our Whimsical World 