The Night Before I Turned 28

What does one think when you see at title like that? Something wild and elaborate must have happened? Well, not quite.

There wasn’t anything particularly exciting about the night before my 28th birthday. I wasn’t out celebrating. There wasn’t a big dinner or some grand moment that was planned.

Instead, I was sitting at home, putting bank statements into folders and organising paperwork. I am becoming my mother. I can’t tell you the amount of times I would walk downstairs and see my mum sitting in front of the TV, filing and organising her paperwork. How does that saying go? “Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”.

If you’d asked my younger self what I’d be doing the night before my 28th birthday, I doubt “filing documents” would’ve made the list. But there was something so satisfying about it. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was exactly what I wanted to be doing.

There I was, with a candle a lit, listening to my Good for the Soul playlist on Spotify. It’s one of my favourite playlists because it’s filled with songs that never seem to age — the kind that instantly make a house feel like a home. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, The Foundations, Ben E. King, Gladys Knight, Etta James, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers… artists whose music has become the soundtrack to so many moments in my life. As I sorted through papers and put bank statements into folders, I found myself smiling. It wasn’t just that I was getting organised — it was that I felt completely at ease.

I was so happy. There’s something about good music, a lit candle, and a simple task that reminds me happiness doesn’t always have to come from big occasions. In my case, it’s found in the most ordinary evenings, when I’m exactly where I want to be.

The day itself had been pretty similar.

Because I work from home, I spent my lunch break changing my bed sheets. I went for a walk and I squeezed in a workout. I did little things that break up the day and make me feel good. They’re simple little routines, but they’ve become some of my favourite parts of everyday life.

Maybe that’s what getting older is about. Finding joy in the ordinary instead of always chasing the extraordinary.

Twenty-eight doesn’t exactly feel different for me, but it sure does sound different. This is late twenties now, isn’t it?

I remember being younger and imagining what my late twenties would look like. At some point, I told myself that by now I’d probably be engaged, or maybe I’d be thinking about having kids. I can’t actually remember whether I imagined one or both.

It’s funny how confidently we make these little timelines for ourselves, as though life is something that can be so thought out and planned. But life rarely unfolds the way we expect, and that’s okay.

The older I’ve become, the less attached I’ve felt to those imaginary deadlines. Life has surprised me in ways I never could have predicted. Some things things have happened earlier than I thought, others haven’t happened at all, and plenty of things I never even considered have shaped me into who I am today.

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be genuinely happy spending the evening organising paperwork, I probably would’ve laughed.

I was, and I am, content. Not because everything has gone to plan, but because I’ve realised that contentment doesn’t come from ticking off a list of milestones. It comes from building a life that actually feels like it’s mine.

A life where changing bed sheets in the middle of the day feels like a little luxury.

Where a walk clears my head.

Where a workout makes me feel strong.

Where an organised folder brings me peace; and

Where a candle burns low while Aretha Franklin or Bill Withers plays in the background, and you realise this ordinary Thursday night is actually pretty special.

By the time this post goes live, I’m four days into my 28th year of life. I don’t feel like chasing anything. I’m just grateful.

Grateful for the quiet routines, for the ordinary days that make up a beautiful life, and for the version of me who’s learnt that happiness doesn’t always arrive wrapped up in the milestones I once expected.

Sometimes, it looks like fresh sheets, a tidy folder, a playlist full of timeless music, and a peaceful night before your birthday.