Belatedly yours,

 I know a family that does not shy away from throwing a birthday party even seven months after a birthday, They believe that as long as you do it, the other things are small small details.

It is on that belief I stand here to complain about how hard it was to look for someone who used to be 24 and is willing to talk about it. Its the year either people didn't remember much about or remembered too much about.
As always there was that one girl who got married at 24, but we don't need that kind of pressure, right? Right? Wrong. Its in there, in an amaglamation of other people's experiences.
Call this a reminder to all the (ancient)people who don't even remember being 24.

24

The year they decided to try loving people for real. They started by breaking up with their on again off again girlfriends, formed a brotherhood 'chamaa-not-chamaa' that made sure they kept their promise to stop chasing skirts for the hell of it. It's the year half of them got heart broken and abandoned that pursuit. Went back to shallow interactions.

Its the year he first got a corporate job, by mistake. Applied for it when he was high, then got called for an interview 72 hours later, having lied through his teeth about having finished school. Then was made an offer he could not refuse. Had to move out of home because home was too far from work.

She moved countries to go eat tamarind in Tanzania. Well technically to take care of her parents and survive through the Covid year, learning how to knit and sow. She learned Arabic and how to play pool. It was also the year she developed an eating disorder.

This was the year he finally got a blender. and fridge, and desk, and a baby. He read the most books that year (about how to take care of babies). Quit his job as a mixologist somewhere to start a business. It was the year he found out he was terrified of childbirth. He also found out babies poop a ton, almost like it was fun for them. It was the year he had to take care of a sick baby and a sick baby mama. It was the year he cried from exhaustion almost weekly.

Meanwhile she left social media. Stopped writing, quit her online job, Got drunk five days a week. Was kicked out of home, couch surfed the rest of the year before going to rehab. Became a social pariah before people found out why she went on a bender, she didn't want to talk about the reason.

It was also the year he tried to get a promotion at work, and the year he got fired for refusing to sleep with the boss. He got another job, discovered the world of podcasts and their underrated wisdom. He also went on holiday for the third time his life, first time on a plane. He remembers sleeping every single Sunday afternoon.

Its the year he got his first piercing, the year he found out he could act, made a career out of it. Quit, started again, did a course on cinematography, met a girl, had his hair shaved for the first time in his life. Ate his first taco, got food poisoning, got better. Had his watch stolen by the girl he met.

And Its the year her acne cleared. The year she got engaged and then married. Its the year she laughed the most, and cried most, the year her mum died. Its the year she reconciled with her brother, the year she felt painfully alive as she tore a ligament.
Its the year she found out she was pregnant. It was a crazy year overall.

Keep warm in these cold times.