Rome wasn't built in a day.

Do you ever catch yourself looking at all of the shiny cars, freshly built homes, and expensive clothes your friends post on Facebook and wonder what in the hell you did wrong? When did your life goals and plans go so astray? Why don't you have that?

I do. A lot. I have a really bad habit of comparing myself to others; to the extent of dwelling on what I DON'T have so much I start to make myself feel miserable. In high school, I wanted to be a CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist). I never had any doubts about whether or not I would be accepted into the local university's Nursing program or Nurse Anesthetist program. I just knew that's what I would do with my life. It's what I wanted to do. And then life happened. It's funny how life has much different plans for itself than you do. If things went the way I always thought they would, I would have graduated last May as a CRNA making about $120,000+ a year. I usually have to force myself not to think about this because it nearly makes me sick to my stomach when I do.

And now, I am almost 25 years old, my 10 year high school reunion is 3 years away and I keep wondering what I have to show for myself. I live in a two bedroom apartment with my four year old son and when I'm not receiving child support, I barely make ends meet.

I get bummed when I think about my current situation but in reality, I'm still young. I do have a child, which adds on extra expenses that my child-less counterparts don't have but even then, I still do better than a lot of people my age so it could be worse. My parents were 28 and 29 when I was born and I can still vaguely remember when they didn't have a lot. It just takes time, I know. It's easy to get impatient or to think everything should just fall in your lap right when you want it to. I can remember when they were able to afford us a nice, large home and how excited they were to be able to do that for my sister and me but also how proud of each other they were. They both worked hard to get there and they couldn't have done it without each other.

Sometimes I forget I'm just one income. I always think "MY PARENTS DIDN'T GO TO COLLEGE AND THEY MADE GOOD MONEY! IT'S NOT FAIR!" then I remember that they were like 35 before happened and there were two of them. Like they say, Rome wasn't built in a day but part of it was. I may not be my definition of comfortable next year but I think things will come together eventually; exactly when it's supposed to and I'll appreciate it a hell of a lot more than I probably would have otherwise.