QUARTER LIFE CRISIS

**There is a video on my YOUTUBE PAGE that accompanies this post - HERE**

I am terrible when it comes to birthdays. Like.. stay in my bed, under the covers, take the day off work & just hide from the world.

Never been a fan of getting older. Anyone who knows me will realize this pretty damn quickly. I've had many an awkward situation arise when it comes to birthdays. I just don't get how people can be that excited about the death of a few billion cells & being one step closer to your body/organs shutting down.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not actually afraid of dying. It's an inevitable fact of life. I am more afraid of the things I'll miss out on than anything.

I vividly remember telling my father on my 12th birthday that I had wasted my life & had accomplished nothing in the time I had been alive. Not exactly the life of the party that's for sure. He just laughed but I was dead serious.

 Then there's the many, many times my mother has told me I'm getting old & only have a few good child bearing years left. My brother saw my reaction to that once - he likes to repeat it.. OFTEN!

I'm in no rush to have children that's for sure. I told my parents when I was younger that I didn't want kids at all and my mother is still adamant that while I probably don't want a big family she can see me having 1 child. I'm on the fence about that still.

Getting old has just never appealed to me. I don't smoke & rarely drink - I hate clubbing and currently don't have a car.. so why should I celebrate being able to do any of these things? Unlike my friends who couldn't wait to turn 18 or 21 just so that they could throw huge parties & get presents & drink loads. (To each their own)

My new mantra.

I will admit I had a quarter life crisis when I hit 25. It wasn't as bad as I'd suspected so I'm pretty sure I'm due another existential crisis any day now. I just wasn't having any of it. I didn't want to do anything & thankfully wasn't forced into any silly rituals so that was a plus.

One thing that is very different here compared to Australia is the birthday custom at work. In Australia, you may get a 'happy birthday' or maybe a card from your office/work. Maybe if you have been working there long enough you get a lunch or perhaps they buy you a cake. Here in the UK & Europe though no one will bring you the sweets. It is customary for YOU to bring your own birthday cake. Whether you intend to celebrate the day or not. Whether you are there on your birthday or not. You are expected to bring something in so everyone can celebrate the day with you (at your expense).

Not something that I (someone who has no desire to celebrate the passing of another year) wish to be forced into.