Dear Mack, We’re Old People Now

Dear Mack, We're Old People Now

We’re old people now. This year officially marks the last year of our early twenties [DUN DUN DUN…]. It’s actually terrifying. I haven’t fulfilled or achieved nearly as much as what I’d thought I would by now, but that’s just because I’m crazy and I have a million gazillion goals I want to reach. I also have a wildly ridiculous standard in my head of what a 23 (almost 24…gag) year old should have achieved by now and an even crazier timeframe to go with it, so maybe that’s where most of the anxiety stems from. I just feel like I’m getting too old to be impressive or a prodigy in anything, but the reality is… mama a whole life ahead of me… Sorry is that meme dead already. I don’t care actually. It’s true. We have nothing but time!

I kinda feel like I’ve been doing a whole lot of nothing. But I think I need that. I’ve been watching my silly little sitcoms and spending time with my silly little family which has been great. I loved having everyone here for the holidays; it’s the first year in like a couple years that my whole mom’s side was able to spend Christmas together (aka the side of the family we see the most and are closest to). And for three days after Christmas, I got to take care of CJ, my one-and-a-half year old baby cousin slash niece (her dad is technically my uncle but is more like an older brother to me because he’s less than 10 years older than me, so I call him ‘Kuya’ which is the Tagalog word for older brother). Auntie mode was in full effect. I’m talking binge watching Bluey, reading books with buttons for animal sounds, diaper changes, designated nap times, and making bottles of formula milk, which CJ cleverly calls “baba”. I actually got really hooked on Bluey. The theme song is still stuck in my head to this day. It’s really catchy.

me and my little bestie. #girls

Because English majors never get to read for enjoyment, as you can probably assume, I’ve been trying to utilize this winter break as a time to leisure read and catch up on books on my non-school-related TBR. This past week I finished Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney, a book I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time but put off because the only other book I’ve read by her, Normal People, wasn’t exactly my favorite (sorry I dislike miscommunication in books. Just talk to each other). And ohhhh my God. You definitely would be like Eeeeem guys… while reading this book because as polar opposite best friends, we have very different book taste, so I will not recommend you to read this BUT. I loved it so bad. This book completely redeemed Rooney for me and now I have her other two books she’s written coming in the mail. I am so excited…yay <3 Here’s a highlighted portion I particularly liked and that spoke to me…because like. Yeah. Also below it I’ll include my Goodreads review because #yay!

As for your question, I genuinely do not think I would survive an apocalypse. I’m too needy of a person to survive or to be useful in times of crisis. Okay, maybe I am a bit of a toughie because #eldestdaughtermoment but I do think I would mainly just be complaining. I would like to think that some instincts would kick in naturally, but in my current state, maybe my role in a coalition group would just be the complainer. I’m so serious. Or maybe I would be complaining and also helping fight off bad guys at the same time.

For the last two months of 2024, I had the messiest room in the world, but not to worry: the first two days of this new year were spent deep cleaning it. I feel so much better in like every way possible… I hate that they were all right about a clean room meaning a clean mind… I do love a clean room but it rarely ever stays that way because I’m always on the go and doing things. Maybe my new year’s resolution will be to keep it this clean all year? Anyway, I’ve been having a great time rearranging and getting rid of stuff I don’t need anymore. It feels symbolic and like a literal weight off my chest.

Speaking of 2024, I feel particularly proud of myself because I was finally able to complete one whole year of episode names for each day. You know this, but in the past I’ve tried to be consistent with giving each day an episode title as if my life were a television sitcom, but eventually failed or simply forgot to do so. But in 2024, on January 1st I made it an actual goal to complete and kept it up for the entire year. I’m not going to post the entire list of every single episode in my life’s TV show (which I’ve aptly named Faith’s Core — every single year I do this from now on is going to have a new name, because it’s a whole new show when it’s a whole new year; the months are seasons and the days are episodes) but here are a couple months of honorable mentions:

I’m gonna be doing it for 2025 as well, obviously. It’s just way too fun. It makes life so much more bearable and every day more exciting. I think I’m naming this year’s sitcom Faithland, but I’m not too sure yet. I have a whole year to give it a final name, so we’ll see.

Anywaaaayyyyy it’s question time! I know I told you about this whole episode-a-day thing back in the beginning of 2024, and I do vaguely remember you starting to do it too, but forgot to ask if you ever continued doing it… I’m assuming no, because you would’ve shared the episode guide with me by now right??? But anyway, my question is: if you were to give the sitcom of your life a snappy title, what would it be?

HAPPY FREAKING NEW YEAR!!!!