On Settling Down

It's no secret one of the main things I've come to accept as a twenty-something is constant change; be it relationships, living situations, friendships, or jobs, I've become accustomed to life in motion.

So, as I sit here and write this, I'm realizing I'm unusually calm for someone whose last day of work is tomorrow. I have a week of vacation coming down in Connecticut, and then back to Maine to start at new position as an associate site editor for a company in Boston.

This May, it will be three years since I graduated college. Not counting the four-month position I held the summer after graduating, I've now worked for four companies and have held five different positions within publishing: spotlight editor, web content producer, new media producer, associate editor, and now, associate site editor.

For someone who's not even 25, I'm certainly proud to be where I am. But now, I'm realizing it's time to settle --something I'm oddly not accustomed to and am quite frankly worried about. I tend to get bored easily and like to be kept busy. I also like to be challenged in my work and have a variety of things to do -- something my last position didn't deliver on. But after a recent conversation with a former editor turned mentor and dear friend, I'm realizing part of growing up is choosing to settle down.

It's funny, since as a mid-twenty something, commitment is typically associated with getting married and popping out babies. However, for me, the challenge with commitment comes in the form of my career. I'm always curious as to what else is out there, and to be blunt, I'm typically approached with opportunities and no longer have to hunt them down. Change, in this respect, has become almost like a comfort. It's exciting, it poses the challenge I crave. But at the same time, as I complain about men my age and their inability to settle in relationships, it's dawning on me I'm the same way, but instead, with my career.

So I'm realizing, just as learning to accept change is part of personal growth, so is making a choice to stop moving and to settle down.