OPINION: What does 25 mean?

When I finish reading 25% of a book, I generally have a good idea if I’m going to love the book or not. I’m in far enough to know the characters and world, but have no idea where the plot is going to take me.

I’ve always been a collector of quarters. Though now it’s mostly to do laundry, I have a large assortment of pressed pennies. For most pressed penny machines, you need two quarters and a penny to get the cheapest souvenir most places have. A quarter is almost 50% of the cost!

Looking at my life, 25 years is likely scattered in between the values of 25% and 50% of my life. With my family history, I doubt I’ll live to 100, but 25 years being half my life is unlikely as well. Today I turn 25, and it feels like an important birthday for some reason.

Aside from running for president, I can legally do most things now that I’m 25. Some states and countries don’t allow a person to rent a car until they’re 25, so this was a birthday I’ve been waiting for to unlock all my travel goals.

I’ve heard 25 is officially the age when your brain is fully developed. As of 1 a.m. today, Nov. 12, my brain is done, fully cooked. I’ll never be smarter than I am today (dear Lord, I hope that isn’t true.).

A person’s 20s is in general a weird time to compare oneself to their peers. The age of 25 is halfway between 20 and 30, and looking at my high school classmates, it feels like we’re all on different parts of that spectrum.

Sometimes I feel like where I am is perfect - a couple years into my first adult job, living in a small apartment while saving money for future goals. Then I hop onto social media and see one classmate celebrating her child’s first birthday, another purchasing their first home. Other classmates are slowly working their way through a degree while living at home or still living as if they were in the same world as in high school.

While none of this is bad, these ideas are very different from each other. I feel like I’m at the center of this; I’ve moved far away from home, live on my own and have the job I wanted when in college. I don’t feel near ready for the next stage that some of my classmates are in, with a husband and child and white picket fence.

That’s the weird thing about 25 - everyone is at a completely different place. People may claim this is the age where a person is fully developed, but it doesn’t feel like it. Maybe that’s the secret of adulthood - you never feel ready.

All that being said, I know there’s never one perfect time for all of humanity to do something. In case you’re feeling weird about age and success and timelines like I am, here’s a list of famous or important people who got their start later in life as a reminder that you are on track to be the person you’re meant to be.

Morgan Freeman - To many, the literal voice of God. Morgan Freeman got his first big break in acting at the age of 50.

Martha Stewart - Though now known as the lifestyle guru who happened to spend some time in prison, Martha Stewart didn’t publish her first cookbook until the age of 41. Prior to that, she worked as a stockbroker and in catering.

Sam Walton - Walmart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, who was already 44 years old at that point.

Laura Ingalls Wilder - With a children’s book series seen as a classic and loved throughout the country, Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first book until the age of 65.

Grandma Moses - Anna Mary Robertson Moses, or Grandma Moses, is a well-known American folk artist, with paintings featuring various classic American scenes. Grandma Moses didn’t begin professionally painting until the age of 78, eventually being featured on the cover of Time Magazine in her 90s.