25

What no one tells you about turning 25 is that it sneaks up on you—bringing a gamut of moments when you feel societal pressure, find yourself outwardly without goals, or simply feel less motivated to achieve any of them, especially when daily life feels like survival and everything seems difficult.

At 25, I always feel not yet a full adult, caught in between youthful dreams and the weight of responsibilities, where I seemingly hear the clock ticking as if reminding me of all the things I have yet to accomplish. It is a strange season where the world applauds those who achieve early success, and you begin to wonder if you are already behind.

When I was a teenager, I imagined that by this age I would be achieving several vignettes of a 25‑year‑old: earning lots of money, easily buying anything I wanted, gaining lifelong experiences and lessons, having a family, having a stable job, building a thriving career, and so on. I am 25, graduated at 23, and have been working for almost two years. Yet none of the things I once envisioned have fully materialized, except that I have gained lifelong experiences and lessons from meeting people from different walks of life—my officemates, my students, tricycle drivers, strangers, and many others. In the midst of this, I find myself someone who loves tinkering with ideas, routines, and possibilities, searching for meaning in the small experiments of everyday life.

Life knows exactly how to tease us, guiding us through both heavenly and hellish decisions. In the Philippines, we have a saying, “Libre ang mangarap” (Dreaming is free). In this sense, dreaming is positively entrenched in Filipino culture—whether it is a childhood aspiration or an everyday desire. Simply put, Filipinos are widely recognized as one of the most hopeful people in the world, and I carry that hope with me even when reality feels heavier than the dreams I once held. I also keep in mind that everything happens for a multitude of reasons, even when those reasons are not immediately clear.

Still, I remind myself that 25 carries immense potential, even in an era where adulthood becomes more verb than noun, defined even more by titles. Perhaps this is the age to redefine my idea of success—not as a checklist of achievements reached by a certain age, but as the courage to keep going, learning, and writing, even when the path looks different from what I once imagined. I pray for and look forward to times of full joy and of rich meaning, trusting that they will come in their own season.

I am a few months away from my 26th birthday, and honestly, right now I am enjoying the process. I am enjoying what 25 has thus far bravely offered me.

Jhon Steven C. Espenido, 25, writes from Surigao City. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language from Surigao del Norte State University and currently works there as a guest lecturer. He is a passionate writer of poems, short stories, and opinion essays.