The first hour of my twenty-eight birthday will strike in very short order, and my twenty-seventh year will be coming to a close. Before that happens, I would like to say a few words of farewell to my twenty-seventh year.
My twenty-seventh year was tumultuous, to say the least. Some of my greatest triumphs and crushing failures happened in this year. I was most proud of myself in my twenty-seventh year. It was the year that I finally graduated from college. My collegiate career spanned through many of my years, but this was the culmination, the curtain call, the end. So, with my family watching on, I walked across the stage in the new Arena at Auburn University and became a college graduate. Shortly after, I was able to travel to see my Auburn Tigers win a conference and national championship in football. It was quite a four week period in my 27th year. In those moments, I was happy... for the most part. As far as school goes, I guess it is worth nothing that twenty-seven also brought me graduate school. My feelings on this matter have not yet been fully realized, and the impact it has will be seen more heavily on twenty-eight and beyond. Therefore, I will just mention that I was selected to attend graduate school, pursuing a MA-English degree at the University of Alabama - Huntsville, and I started in August.
Twenty-seven was also a year filled with regret and sadness. One of my grandfathers passed away just days following my birthday last year. It was a solemn way to begin a year. I was also left holding broken pieces of a few more dreams in my twenty-seventh year. Some will most likely be re-glued, retested, and possibly eventually attained. Some, on the other hand, will not. Those which are unable to be epoxied and made whole again were sources for much turmoil during this year, and consequently made this year a difficult one to manage while trying smile.
While there have been many nights of sleep sullied, long bouts of cardiomyopathy and dysautonomia (for various reasons), and a general abundance of rain cloud in my twenty-seventh year, there was also a lot to smile about. I have some really fantastic friends. They have been great this year. Some have risen to new levels in my twenty-seventh year, and it is because of them that it was so enjoyable, despite the obstacles.
This year, my twenty-seventh, was a difficult year, but it played its part. It came, it went, and it left me still standing and still in tact as it relented to twenty-eight. I eagerly look forward to this next year. I have lots of big plans that I want to see through. I also have a series of goals that I want to accomplish. I expect a big year this year. Hopefully, if I work hard and the ball bounces my way, it will be the best yet. With that said, I would like to say thank you to my twenty-seventh year, and bid it adieu. You were 365 days long, you were a bastard for the most part, but you made me smarter, tougher, and stronger. Farewell, twenty-seven!
Jonathon Wilson
PS - If anyone reads this, you probably already know this entire story. There is nothing new here that you didn't know already. However, there is something that I would like to say to you, reader. Thank you for reading what I write. I only wrote one original piece this last year. I am ashamed of that, because I love it so much, and I know people enjoy reading what I write. I let my problems, and my inability to manage my emotions for the better part of the year hinder my writing. Furthermore, I would like to say to you that I will not let it happen again. Not only is this a eulogy to another year gone in my life, but it is a flag that I am raising signifying that a tide has turned. I am writing this less than an hour before my birthday to say that, while twenty-seven had a distinct lack of writing, twenty-eight will be filled with it. I will write for myself, and I will write for you. Let's all have a big year.
