clicK day 4: Age 29 Gems: Fun fact: 29 is my favorite number. It was my elementary school class number three years in a row. I thought 29 was going to be my golden birthday, the luckiest year of my life. In many ways, it totally was. I completed my first year of teaching, real teaching, with real humans looking to me for love, support, and knowledge. I do not take that role for granted. 29 has been a hard year in many ways. During quarantine, I have struggled with loneliness, guilt, and wondering who I truly am. What are the things that define me outside of my career? How do I make a difference in this world, and once I figure it out, how do I find the courage to do it? As school has been ramping up, I am finding that strength and that inspiration again which I so desperately missed the past few months. Age 30 Hopes: One of my favorite movies of all time is “13 Going On 30.” Our main character learns to love exactly who she is, and to show others how to do that too. I know that I am more than “Allison the Choir Teacher.” I am Allison the photographer, the dancer, the optimist, the cat mom, the traveler, the foodie, the curly girl, the video gamer, and most importantly, the chaser of sunsets. All of those women are a part of me, and I hope that I continue to remember that next year. Here’s to 30. 30, flirty, and thriving. #pondseries https://www.instagram.com/p/CDklOIBF2G51WL7RXwHbyFcZb5Gzh4TSMy9x4g0/?igshid=95veza8zo4v3