First Posted: 2/4/2014
By the time your late 20s roll around, there are certain life milestones that you are expected to have surpassed. These include, but are not limited to: marriage, children, buying a house, starting a real career, and perfecting your personal hygiene routine.
“I have exciting news!” was the statement that came pouring excitedly out of my mouth when I was offered an amazing new opportunity. However, my excitement and jubilation were short-lived. Before I was able to spill the details on my news, do a happy dance and hug the nearest person, my audience had all asked whether I was pregnant or had finally gotten engaged.
I guess when you are about to hit 30 and are at a precipice in your life, your options for happy news are slightly more limited than in your early 20s. Their reactions made me feel that my choices were to either get married and have a family or start working on my collection of cats so I can fully embrace my crazy cat lady status. Everyone is anxiously waiting for me to take that next step into adulthood. Sorry to disappoint you, folks, but nobody put a ring on it and I am not peeing on a stick anytime soon.
So if I am not getting engaged or pregnant, my hygiene routine is fairly solid, I didn’t buy a house, and my credit is so bad I couldn’t finance a ham sandwich (oh, if I knew then what I know now about credit cards – stupid youth), what is my big news?
I was offered a spot on the widely popular (and my personal favorite) KRZ radio show, “Rocky and Lissa in the Morning!” (Yes, I am doing the aforementioned happy dance.) On Wednesday mornings, I will sit with them and discuss my column and talk to listeners about their lives and experiences.
Overall, people’s reactions did get me thinking: Are wifely duties and motherhood my only expectations in life? I have always gone against the grain of people’s expectations of me, but this was a new realization of just how much I want more than the cookie cutter future.
This is me chasing a dream. Please follow me every Wednesday morning on 98.5 KRZ around 7:15 a.m. for some jokes, insights, opinions, and laughter. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity and I look forward to sharing my stories and getting to talk to others about theirs. I encourage everyone to go against the grain and carve their own paths. People may have some expectations of you, but I think surprising them is the best way to surprise yourself.
