Winter party-planning trauma aside, an underrated perk of having a December birthday is your new age aligning with the new year (for the most part). Thankfully, I’ve never subscribed to Fear of Aging™ propaganda; that’s simply not my ministry. But, the end of 2025 did give me the perfect opportunity to reflect on the end of 26… and I guess officially my mid-twenties? After careful contemplation, I can confidently say that 26 was the year I’d reaped the seeds I’d sown throughout my mid-twenties.

At 26, I submitted the final draft of my debut coming-of-age novel to the publisher I sold my book to at 24 before announcing my book deal at 25 to my friends and family.

At 26, I moved into the D.C. loft of my dreams following the apartment hunt I started at 25 after getting my master’s degree in London and moving back to the States at 24.

At 26, I got a brand new passport after visa stamps marking new adventures and unforgettable experiences claimed the last of my free pages at 25 (which 24-year-old me would have loved because my old passport picture was nothing short of a weapon fashioned against me by the enemy).

26 was the year that showed what it looks like when you keep the promises you make to yourself, stay the course, and have faith in God’s plan for you.

With that being said, I can’t wait for 27 — and by extension 2026 — to show me how good life in my late twenties can get.