72 Comments
User's avatar
stepfanie tyler's avatar

27 was the year i decided to "get my life together"—i read a lot about emotional regulation and cut out a few toxic people. once i cleaned up the inputs, the outputs improved substantially. loved this piece! and happy early birthday from a fellow May baby 👯‍♀️

Valerie's avatar

stephanie!! that sounds so exciting. as a fellow may baby i’m going to have to trust you on this 🫂

Barry's avatar

I love your writing! I am in my 60s now and if there’s one decade I would never want back it’s my 20s. What a freak show of anxiety. Life made more sense for me after 30, but it’s never easy. Happy Birthday!

Valerie's avatar

Barry, this means so much to me - my gratitude is beyond words. thank you! i'm excited!

maja roglić's avatar

27 was the most pivotal age of my life thus far. beautiful things began to happen. so excited for you and happy early birthday ❤️

Valerie's avatar

i’m so excited maja 😭 thank youuu

letícia's avatar

whenever i think someone is a diva, they always end up being a fellow taurus, happy early birthday queen!

Valerie's avatar

thank you soul sister ♉️

Elisabeth Bradley's avatar

This was perfect. I love your mind!! I have never felt more seen. Thank you for sharing

Valerie's avatar

thank you so much – i’m so glad ❣️❣️

Alice Clara's avatar

This piece was a little trinket-gift wrapped up for us all, given so generously. Thank you. You are so eloquent and so interesting in your turns-of-phrase and the way you relay and render your thoughts. This website teems with essays on what to do with ourselves as we grow older but few of them feel so fresh and wide-eyed as this one; so candid and so able to reckon with yourself, with solipsistic experience. Loved it. Happy early birthday; I hope 27 is your best year yet!

Valerie's avatar

Alice, you've made my week <3 thank you so much!! means the world to me

emily north's avatar

perfect words - as someone who turned 27 somewhat recently and has been going through it

Valerie's avatar

emilyyyy we're in the trenches but it's fun out here <33

Jake Hauritz's avatar

Amazing as always. Things truly fell into place when I was 27 and I personally found that the joy of living only intensified with each passing year. Keep going!

Valerie's avatar

thank you Jake 🤍🤍

sarah cucchiara's avatar

also you being a taurus makes so much sense to me and it explains my undying love for you

Valerie's avatar

textbook! 😭 love you sarah endlessly

sarah cucchiara's avatar

oh i’ll be revisiting this many many many times

Julia Novis's avatar

Loved reading this!! Have already sent it on two different group chats, felt very seen having someone validate the struggles of being in your twenties

Valerie's avatar

i’m so happy it spoke to you Julia 💖 thank you for sharing!

Sara's avatar

you're so brilliantly clever!! loved this, felt so seen in these lines <3

Valerie's avatar

sara! thank you so much! 🩵

Ash's avatar

This reminded me of that James Baldwin quote- "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read". Turns out we're all suffering the same growing pains. Thanks for this.

Carolyn Lok's avatar

heavy on the pollen 😭😭 you always have a way of speaking directly to my soul 💫

Valerie's avatar

💗💗 protect your airways girl

Rosanna Peng's avatar

Just here to say Sarphatipark is my regular park ✨

Valerie's avatar

a spot for great minds <3

Chloe's avatar

This is just incredible. Loved every moment.

Valerie's avatar

thank you so much!