I’m Not Where I Thought I’d Be

I used to have a picture in my head of what my life would look like by now.

The timeline was pretty standard, graduate, build a career, buy the house, settle down, have everything “figured out” before thirty.

But life had a different plan. A messier, slower, more meaningful one.

And now, here I am.

Not quite where I imagined I’d be.

But somewhere even more powerful, more beautiful in ways I couldn’t have understood back then.

Because while my life may not check all the traditional boxes, while we’re still working toward certain milestones and dreams, what I do have is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Love.

Real, steady, unconditional love.

A partner who supports me even on the days I don’t believe in myself. Kids who wrap their arms around me like I’m their whole world.

Laughter in the living room. Little feet running through the house.

Warmth in our walls, even if they don’t belong to us (yet).

No, we don’t own a house.

Yes, we still dream of a yard, a driveway, a place that’s ours.

But we’ve built a home anyway, one full of love, full of memories, full of hope.

We’re not rolling in money.

There’s no fancy car in the driveway or passport stamps piling up.

But our bills are paid.

Our fridge is full.

The weight of barely scraping by is slowly lifting, and let me tell you, that kind of freedom is something I never take for granted.

Because I remember what it felt like to worry, really worry.

To count every cent.

To wonder how we’d make it to the end of the week.

To say “no” to things we couldn’t afford but desperately wanted to give our children.

So now, when I say I’m thankful, I mean it.

I’m thankful for every “paid” notification.

I’m thankful for simple grocery trips that don’t involve a calculator.

I’m thankful for quiet nights at home, knowing we’re safe, warm, and okay.

This Life Isn’t Instagram-Perfect. But It’s Ours.

I scroll through my feed sometimes and see people my age who seem to have it all.

The homes. The vacations. The matching outfits. The picture-perfect milestones.

And I’d be lying if I said I never feel the sting of comparison.

But then I look around at what I do have, and that feeling melts into something else:

Gratitude.

Pride.

Peace.

Because while my life doesn’t look like everyone else’s, it looks exactly like mine.

It real an it is earned.

It’s built on resilience, on love, on showing up every single day even when it’s hard.

And that matters more than anything a photo could ever capture.

One Day, We’ll Get There

We still dream.

We still plan.

We still have goals tucked in the back of our minds, buying a house, traveling, growing in ways we can feel in our bones.

But we’re not in a rush to check the boxes just to say we did.

We’re walking in our own time, on our own path, knowing we’re already surrounded by so much abundance.

Because I look at our children, their laughter, their health, their bright little spirits, and I think: this is wealth.

I look at our love, the support, the inside jokes, the quiet strength, and I think: this is success.

Rich in All the Right Ways

So no, I’m not where I thought I’d be.

But I’m somewhere better.

I’m surrounded by love.

I wake up to little voices that call me “Mommy” with pure joy.

I go to bed next to someone who chooses me, every day, without question.

We are healthy. We are whole.

We are building something real- slowly, imperfectly, but with hearts full of intention.

And in my eyes? I’m rich.

Rich in the things that don’t rust or fade.

Rich in the moments that don’t make it to Instagram but mean everything.

We may not have it all, but we have enough.

And in this messy, ordinary, love-filled life of ours, I’m exactly where I need to be.