What were you doing half your lifetime ago?

[Bobje]

I was 26, working in London, living with my sister in a very nice flat, just off Russell Square.
We both worked in media and were having the time of our lives.
Little did I know, in the following week I would meet my now DH.

I was 22 and I was living in Rusell Square at the staff accommodation from GOSH. It was my first job after graduation.

16, had just finished school. Life was great, carefree and no worries

if i could go back now, I would say don’t bother with relationships until you’re 27. You will know your mind better and have better self esteem.

I was 19. Just finished my first year of uni, and travelling solo for the summer through West Africa. Right now, end of August, I think I'd have been at the Saint-Louis jazz festival in Senegal.

At the time it felt perfectly normal to be doing what I was doing – when I look at 19 year olds now I can't believe how incredibly young I was!

Just started my PhD.

I was 21. I'd just graduated in June. I'd been with (now) DH 6 months and we were still at that stage where you're utterly love sick!
We were temporarily living at his parents' house. It was awful and his mum is insane!
I was trying to make it as a recruitment advisor and failing miserably. I didn't have the right personality for it at all.
DH and I had loads of fun, and he had a nice friendship group locally. But in my last year of Uni I'd had a big falling out with my friendship group, who pretty much ghosted me thereafter, and so I was friendless and feeling very depressed.
We were obviously very broke.
Christ, I'm so much happier now!!

Just got my gcse results. Spent the summer at house parties and festivals. I did have a boyfriend, absolutely gorgeous and 6’5 so that’s all the boxes ticked for a 16 year old 😂 we didn’t last.

Extricating myself from an abusive marriage. It was the worst time of my life. I used to wonder whether things would ever be better for me. Happy to report that yes, things are really good now! But it was a nightmare at the time.

I was 35, a SAHM with two sons, 3 and 7. We'd walk the oldest to school - about 15 minutes along a country road - then walk home again. It was a quiet life and it's hard to believe the ups and downs I've had since. It makes me sad to think about it.

I was 22, living with my then fiance, now DH in our first home and we'd just got our first puppy. We had some money to enjoy ourselves, holidays and nights out with friends. We were the NY party hosts of our friend groups.

I was living in the town I went to uni in, on the 1st career rung as it turned out, with a bloke I loved the bones of. I was also recovering from my first termination with him. Little did I know then how much the relationship with him over the next few years would break me.

I was 27 and was a Bank Manager in London. I'd been married two years and had been TTC for a year. DH and I were having lots of holidays in America because every time we went on one something would go wrong with a flight or hotel and the holiday company would give us a massive discount voucher in compensation so we would immediately book a other trip. I doubt that would happen now.

We had a 3 bed semi that we had bought when we got married but were house hunting for a 4 bed detached in anticipation of starting our family.

We moved into our bigger house but the family took another 9 years.

I was 27 and on August 28th getting married.

You've made me cry! My husband is looking at me like wtf.
Hope you are sorted now.x

32.5 I was looking after my 2.5 yo son as a single parent after splitting up with his waste of space father. Little did I know that 18 months later I’d meet a wonderful guy, and 18 months after that we’d be married. 30 years this year. 🙂🙂

I was 26 with 3 kids 9, 7 and a baby. Trundling along with exh. Not much different now trundling along looking after grandchildren with a different husband. Never done anything amazing. But I enjoyed the 90s better times than now although money was very tight.

Just bought a house that needed renovating. International job, single, no dcs. Having a ball. 😊

22, nearly 23. Working in a terrible call centre, about to leave and go to work in a lovely cafe and start learning to be a cook.
Had just finished a degree in Archaeology, but in order to get anywhere then you had to go and volunteer and get experience that way and I couldn't afford to not work, because I lived away from family and had no money! In hindsight Archaeology was a ridiculous choice.

Thought I was in love with a useless man.
Lived in a house share with people I didn't know, and was very often very lonely.

I was 35, married with 4 kids and just about to start my third year of teacher training. Hectic, but I loved it!

28, living in london & working for a record label in Hoxton (at the beginning of its regeneration).

having a wonderful time. Great work, great friends, lots of socialising & travel.

Always in a rush in a dinky yellow mini to drop off or pick up from school and juggle work hours. Half a lifetime later still in the same house, AC’s bedrooms claimed for sleepovers by DGC, bob around in a small blue car fitted with children’s car seats (safety in progress), share school and club pick ups with other DGPs.

I was 29, I had a fun, well paid job, my own cute flat in Zone 2 and two kittens. However I was stressed about ending up on the shelf and a year later married somebody I shouldn’t have

23, living in shared house in London and working finance in the City. Travelling a lot with work and having a fling with a colleague who wasn’t single 😬

It was good fun but I wasn’t very happy really.

Just went off travelling to Oz and NZ for a gap year on my own. Worked in Sydney for 6 months. Had the time of my life, partied hard and made some great friends- some I'm still in touch with. Also was a size 8- sigh!! Didn't realize it then but those were the best years.

I was 21, at university and engaged to dh.

I was married with 3 small children