2020s are here and I think the best way to start it is by doing a short review of this past decade of my life. If these ten years would be made into a movie, it would be a coming of age story where the heroine would struggle to prove to everybody (but mostly herself), that she is worth something. I think it would get an average rating on IMDb and somebody would write that the movie is fun to watch because most of the situations are relatable. Jokes aside, let's do a quick run through the pages of my life during these past ten years.
2010s was a decade when my priority was education. I got all three degrees - BA, MA, and PhD. My grandma used to jest that people are released from a prison in less than ten years and I am still at the university. Her No. 1 question was "So when are you going to finish your studies?". And I am so happy that couple of months before she passed away I was able to tell her that I have defended my thesis and thus finished my "never ending" process of studying.
It was also a decade when I started working as a junior researcher at the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore. Due to the specifics of my work, not only I get to analyze old folklore manuscripts, but also go to fieldwork in various villages and talk to the people. Those expeditions are the most incredible experience.
The 2010s were filled with journeys and trips. Be it exploring my own country, or going somewhere abroad, it was always an adventure. Latvia, Estonia, France, Denmark, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Scotland, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Belarus, Poland, Croatia, Japan - these were the countries where I have spent sunny afternoons, gave presentations in conferences/congresses, or lived fore some time while studying. Each of them left a mark in my worldview and right was St. Augustine who wrote that "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page".
This decade in my life will also be known as "the one when me and my long time boyfriend tied the knot". Our story begins waaay back, in our high school years. We started to date in 2008 and since we were still very young, there were no thoughts about marriage at that time.
But as the years passed, we understood that yeah, he/she is the one, so it was only natural to take the next step. 2013, on the 10th of August we said "I do".
Later, our little family grew (and no, I am not talking about kids, we still have 0 of them), in 2012 we adopted a cat, and little bit later, in 2015 we adopted a dog. I could write that "they both are the sweetest girls that I have ever knew!", but that would not do the justice to them. They are individuals with their characters, moods, and needs. The way they communicate with us, their day-to-day behaviour is what never ceases to amaze me. They are not sweet, well, not always. Our cat usually is plotting something and acting like she's owning the place, and our dog is a sneaky one, trying the limits all the time. Nevertheless, I cannot imagine my life without them both.
During this decade we also bought our first home. There's lots of things to be done, but I hope that sooner or later we'll going to move in there and enjoy the quiet life of suburbia.
In 2016 I fulfilled a long dream of mine and got a tattoo done. I remember that at first I was very conscious of it, trying not to demonstrate it in front of my colleagues, but later I just... forgot about it! It's always amusing to talk with people and see the moment when their eyes catch a glimpse of my tattoo, and how their focus start shifting from my face to my hand. Tattoos are no longer a taboo, but some people might question your choices, that is what I have learned.
I am very happy that during this decade I haven't forgot my passion to draw and even got a chance to illustrate a book! Although I have finished musical school instead of an art one, I am trying to learn as much as possible combining books, Youtube, and the well known method of "trial and error". Drawing is an occupation that helps me to forget myself and sometimes that's all that's necessary.
So, what would 31 year old me say to the me from 2010, smiling here happily in a boat during the well deserved summer vacation?
I think it would be along the lines of this quote from "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen: "There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me". Looking back, I see that I have changed and quite a bit. I now do, say, and enjoy things that would have left 10 years younger me speechless (e.g. liking the colour pink). But would I change anything in my past? No, thank you. I think I had a very eventful and memorable 10 years, and now I'm very curious what the next decade will bring!
Photos © aesthastic, MarcipaninÄ Fotografija
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