What did your life look like when you were half your current age?

[OneFancyTealQuail]

I was 16 just done my gcses about to go into six form college

Ooh this is an interesting one...

A busy year that one! I had just passed my post grad training and started a job, got married, bought our first house together. We both worked hard but had a fantastic social life and travelled at any opportunity.

Ah, it was so much simpler then. Sadly so many have passed and life is more challenging. Xxx

I was having my second son.

I was 25 and was back living at my mums, but it was OK. I left again that year and got a place in the town as a renter. I had an income, my friends all had flats nearby, it was like a continuation of uni life except we had disposable income… I was busy chasing boys and being chased. There was no life term boy on the scene. Life was fun!

I was 24, living in Devon and just about to have my second baby (tomorrow).

I was 31, teaching in London. It was a good time for me.

I was 20 and heading into my final year of uni. I was with my ex of 6 years. In the November I would meet my now DH and be unable to resist, calling time on my relationship!

I was living in a basement flat surrounded by commercial properties - so the area was deserted at night - in a large city with one other girl who I hadn't realised would be staying at her boyfriends house most of the time. I therefore spent a lot of my time alone TERRIFIED that someone would break in! I mean - TERRIFIED!

I was starting to look at what job I could do after graduation.

I was working part time in the students union shop, which I would quit when I met (now) DH as I was unable to peel myself away.

I used to wear incredibly low slung jeans and a tshirt which said "Jesus is my homeboy"!

I was 26 and just about to start my NQT year as a teacher. I was living with my partner in the house we’d bought 2 years earlier and I had thought we would be together for ever.
(We weren’t!)

Had just bought a doer upper, recently had our first long awaited child. Life was busy but mainly very happy.

I was 33 and escaped from an abusive relationship.. took myself and my 6 year old to live with my Mum.. in the middle of the night
Never looked back.

I thought I was living my best life - hungover more often than not, and putting myself in very vulnerable situations while earning those hangovers.
Almost feels like it was someone else when I think back to it now, I couldn't be more different!

I was 35, in my second year at university, taking a joint degree. I had two kids, one divorce, a new-to-me fixer-upper that I had no time or money to fix, and that was going to plunge into negative equity the next year.

I was volunteering with an HIV project, and watching too many of my friends die.

Despite all that, I was mostly as happy as Larry.

Half my life ago, I was in a thoroughly unhappy and financially abusive marriage, convinced I wouldn't ever be able to manage on my own because that's what the husband had brainwashed me into thinking. I had a missed miscarriage that year, the only time that I managed to become pregnant. My body knew it wasn't the right time or relationship!
Work wise, I had a job that I loved and was just about to start post-grad studies. Those studies laid the foundation for the career I now have.
I would describe the year that was half my life ago as a bit of a curate's egg!

I had a toddler and a lot more horses than I have now , worked 2 nights a week as a staff nurse .

I was 20/21 thoroughly in the grip of my first true love and absolutely besotted/convinced he was the man I was going to marry and have a family with. We were (it wasn’t just me, it was reciprocated!) planning our future.

I was however about to get dumped out of the blue. It took me years to get over it!

I am now very happily married (to someone else) with a lovely family. I barely ever give a thought to the first love except to occasionally remember if something nudges my memory and think I never did understand what went to wrong so quickly (except that we were so young) and hope that he’s living his best life now, as I am (mostly!).

I also thought I knew everything at that age. I did not.

22.5, I had just handed in my final year dissertations.

I was working as a waitress and temping while saving to go to Florida on holiday.

Not a single forward plan at all, nor had my parents asked what I was doing. They had just got divorced so were wrapped up in that.

I'd just got married to the man I will spend forever with.

A shit load more promising than it turned out.

In my first job after leaving uni. A new man, older, just started working in the same office. I didn’t know it at the time but it was my future DH. Neither did he.

i was 22 and just finishing my masters dissertation which I handed in on 1st September 22 years ago! I moved to London in a flatshare with two of my buddies from uni, very happy memories of eating frozen pizza, drinking cheap wine and sitting smoking on the front door step. We went out in central London every weekend, I was going out with my then boyfriend, now DH, we hosted loads of awful dinner parties with lots of wine and just loved life. Still in touch with lots of my friends from that time, although we’ve all moved out of London now and are all extremely sensible! It honestly feels like it was someone else’s life.

I’d just had my second baby so life very much revolved around two small dc. Hectic but happy times 🥰

In middle of fling with xBoyfreind. Didn't last.
No kids. OMG. No kids !! Uncertain future for work.

Utterly miserable but besotted with my abusive ex boyfriend. I had a drug problem and was terrified of moving away from my home town to go to uni.

Turned out to be my best move ever, it gave me space to understand what had been happening to me throughout my teen years. I got therapy recovered from years of self harm and dumped my horrid ex, it took me another 7 years to fully get things together but everything started to look positive rather than trapping. You never know what's around the corner 🥰

I was 17 and probably not paying enough attention to my A-Levels*

All worked out in the end. I wanted to be a midwife. Did a degree in civil engineering. 😂

21, doing finals and writing a dissertation. Heartbroken just out of my first real relationship. I thought I might die (I didn’t). Could live on croissants and pasta whilst staying a small size 8. Some of the friends I had then are friends for life now. My flat leaked in heavy rain.

I was 21 and been married for a year to a man I haven’t spoken to for about 15 years. Living in a rented house. Just finished my degree and trying to get into medical school. I never did make it.