I turn 37 tomorrow, Reader.

And wow... life looks nothing like I thought it would at this age.

In 2018, I rang in my 30th birthday at a rooftop bar in Lisbon, Portugal—on a quick trip from NYC before rushing back to my stressful job in healthcare. A few months later, I took my very first solo trip to Ireland.

I never could’ve guessed that just a few years later—after a global pandemic, no less—I’d be wrapping up a 3.5-year round-the-world trip. Alone. On my own terms.

And now? I’m living at my parents’ house in California.

No full-time job. A little blog income, but not exactly “paying the bills” money.
No kids. No dog. Driving my high school Toyota.
Most of my stuff is still in boxes from when I left New York in 2020.

It’s not exactly the “thriving at 37” narrative I imagined.

Especially for someone like me—a Type-A, spreadsheet-loving, plan-everything-to-death kind of person.
Not knowing what’s next isn’t just unsettling... it’s wildly out of character.
I’ve always had a path. A goal. A “what’s next.”

Now I have an inbox full of job rejections and a garden full of tomatoes.

But here’s the thing: I don’t regret it.

Not even a little.

I got to do something most people only dream of—travel slowly, intentionally, freely.

I got to eat noodles in night markets, hike volcanoes, get lost in languages I didn’t speak, and learn more about myself than I ever could have in an office.

I also got to pause. And when you’ve been hustling your whole adult life, you don’t realize how rare that is until you finally stop.

Now that I’m home, I’m trying to figure out what’s next.
So far, that includes applying to jobs (and hearing nothing), baking too much sourdough, and trying to stay hopeful in a time of uncertainty.

I don’t have the answers.
I don’t know what my career will look like next.
I don’t know when I’ll find work again.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep working in the same field I left behind in 2021.

But I do know this: I would’ve regretted not going.

I don’t want to be 80 years old wishing I’d taken more chances.

Even if my life looks wildly unconventional right now.
Even if I’m not “where I should be.”
Even if I’m figuring it out as I go.

So if you’re in a weird in-between season too—or if you’re scared to take a big leap—just know you’re not the only one.

I keep telling myself it’s okay not to know what’s next.
And maybe, just maybe... that’s where the good stuff begins.

Back to travel tips next week.

xo,
Cat

🎂 Birthday Photo Dump: A Few Bday Moments from My 30s

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