rachg82

To continue on in the vein about age and all, we all have things we feel comparatively we should have accomplished but have not. I felt like this a lot as a teenager and forced myself into situations that were bad just so I could feel like I was "accomplishing" those things other people my age were. But it doesn't matter. Milestones are fine, but I think they mean more when they are for ourselves, dictated by us, and with love and not demand. ie. when I decided to finally go through with learning to drive. I set a goal, to get it done and get my license and buy a car before my permit was to expire again, and I did it. That felt wonderful. So what if I was 27 by the time I got my driver's license, I did it, and I know the hurdles I had in front of me, so it felt extra good to accomplish. Everyone has different struggles and so expecting the same out of everyone is impossible. We have a whole host of things going for us Rachael, we're intelligent beings and even if it seems like "so what", there are a LOT of dumb people out there who wouldn't even think about all the stuff you wrote here. Being smart is a double-edged blade but you know you'd rather be intelligent than float through life like some inbred redneck. We are unique people, both of us, we are very alike but very different, these are things to be celebrated. Accomplishments are mostly only accomplishments to ourselves. Few people in my life have celebrated my personal accomplishments, but to me it does not matter - going for it myself with no support and actually achieving feels great. Both of us, because of who we are, have accomplished a lot more than others who have come from wreckages like ours. I try to think of that on occasion when I am beating myself up... like, sure, other people younger than me have had cars for years and are in long-term stable relationships and have college degrees, but damn it, I know the personal struggles I had to go through before I could even THINK about *those* things. And handling the daily struggles of depression is a whole hell of a lot of accomplishment that most people never can even fathom in their lifetimes. So don't forget to pat yourself on the back for those things- even if they are unpleasant to think about, the battles you've been through in your life, you've come out on top, and you are a better person for it, and stronger than most people could ever imagine.

Again I hope this makes sense.