different versions

If I could have it my way, I'd like to live my 20s a few times over. This decade of life makes all the difference once it is completed and none when you're in the midst of it. Not accomplishing anything substantial by the time you're 25 is not really a big deal. There are flimsy excuses and legitimate reasons aplenty to offer if you're not well-established and successful--at least by the world's standards--at that age. As a twentysomething, life is an exciting and frightening welter of possibilities; you can dip your toes into the pool of adulthood without being required to get all the way in. But come 30, your stars should be aligning...or, you should be calming down, anyway.

I actually believe that these years are vital, irreplaceable for the development of character, real values (not what Mom and Dad so graciously conveyed to you), and the lifestyle that will typify the rest of your adulthood. Still, there is an open-ended and giddy quality to the twenties that I'm keen to hold onto. If I could be in my 20s several times over I would opt for the following...

...a PhD before age 30. Serve as a TA, slave over a dissertation, get an impressive credential, move to a small town to teach ungrateful undergraduates who don't look much older than me...

...service overseas. Work among the poor, speak another language, write about what I see, have an open door policy, own less clothes, never want to come back...

...a few kids--have more energy for this in my 20s than I will in my 30s. Buy small shoes, read children's books before bedtime, take trips to the library, nap in the afternoon, have no kids in the house after age 50...

...independent musician. Quit my job, live out of my car, sing in interesting bars, play piano and learn guitar, get a few tattoos, make a living by age 30...