Seth and I finished rewatching The Tudors and are now heavy into a rewatch of Sex and the City. We were really into this show when we first got together years and years ago at this point, so this is bringing back a lot of fond memories. However, so much about it hits completely different these days. For one thing, some of the episodes have aged a lot more gracefully than others. I'm also processing the vast majority of the characters and plotlines a lot differently now that I'm only a couple of weeks away from my 45th birthday.
Sometimes remembering my 20s -- the way I thought, the things I enjoyed, and everything I thought I wanted out of life -- is like remembering someone else's life. I never would have thought back then that I'd grow into someone with such simple needs and wants. For instance, I wouldn't necessarily spit on the opportunity to travel or explore the world if it came my way at this point, but it's not something I can't imagine my life without anymore. The same cannot be said for things like home-cooked dinners at home with my partner or large, quiet chunks of time to write and create things.
When I first discovered Sex and the City as an idealistic, energetic 20-something, I related a lot to Carrie. But it was mostly because she was quirky, restless, and plagued by relationship troubles. Like Carrie, I thought I was commitment-oriented, but I never seemed to be happy anytime I was actually in a relationship. I also had more trouble being faithful to people than I like to admit. Any little thing that went wrong in my relationships was more than enough to inspire me to dump a partner or -- at the very least -- start looking over their shoulder for someone else. This time around, I no longer relate to this side of Carrie. I do remember what it was like to feel that way, but that's about it.
I relate a lot more strongly to her writer side. I used to think it would be so cool to do something like that for a living -- write column-style content inspired by my own life and do it out of my home instead of an office somewhere. It's interesting to watch this as a full-time writer who actually does earn part of her living doing something very similar to what Carrie does in the show. I've always liked to write, including throughout my 20s, but I had no real plans to become a writer at the time. Funny how things change and how you can see where something about your eventual future started at some point in the past.
On that note, I think I've finally found my sea legs over on Medium after about a year on the platform (and perhaps six months of taking it seriously.) I've been focusing more on getting some of my stuff published in the bigger, more important publications. This month, I published with The Writing Cooperative for the first time. They are very picky about submissions and quite strict regarding their guidelines, so that feels like a huge win. I also got myself accepted as a writer at one of my favorite pubs, P.S. I Love You, and published a story with them, as well. That one even went a little viral and earned me some cash, so I'm pretty stoked.
I've always found writing for a living to be incredibly validating on a personal level, even when I'm only ghostwriting for clients. But there's something about earning money for sharing my own experiences and stories that's genuinely next-level. It really means something to me that people find those things interesting. I'm finding the feedback from my readers really helpful, as well. Even the trolls you attract when something goes viral have taught me a lot, especially about people in general. I'm excited about seeing where that all takes me in the future.
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