The year 2021 marks the final year I’ll fully spend in my 20s, as I turn 29 on March 8.
It seems like just yesterday I was strutting around the Airdrie streets with my gang of hooligans, not a worry in the world. Life is funny in that we don’t seem to plan ahead until we deem it necessary, or until it smacks us in the proverbial face.
For me, that sentiment is even more so. I can remember graduating from Bert Church High School in 2010 and suddenly realizing I hadn’t spent a day planning for the future. There are a few reasons why, mainly due to the fact that by 18, I had already seen so much. For me, to be alive and healthy was enough.
I have been an epileptic since I was five years old. After high school until I was maybe 21 years old, my mental health started to decline. My neurologist told me that depression and anxiety can be pretty normal for people diagnosed with epilepsy. I had spent many years trying to be there for other people and not myself, which eventually led to a tipping point.
After multiple visits to a therapist, she quickly diagnosed my lack of drive or planning for the future as a coping mechanism. By that age, I had already lost my dad to a workplace accident, my cousin to suicide and a number of other family members and friends for one reason or another. My therapist told me the reason I avoided making plans for the future was because in my head, I didn’t see myself living that long, as many people around me had already perished.
She was right. It was subconscious, sure, but that feeling was there. I never saved money or thought of long-term plans because in my head, another day above ground was just a bonus. I always felt for some weird reason that I was operating on borrowed time.
Fast forward a number of years, and after two grand-mal seizures that nearly took my life, I found a reason to keep going. It wasn’t until after my second seizure when I was 25 years old I realized that hey, maybe I am here for a reason. Ever since then, I have operated on a strict guideline of doing what makes me happy, with people who make me happy.
I can’t sit here and say I am some sort of wild success story. But for people going through something who may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, I can assure you that perseverance and believing in yourself will get you there.
It takes one shake in your world to change the entire landscape. As we continue to navigate the murky waters of 2021, believe in yourself, if nothing else.
Here’s to 29 more years.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
