Hello. My name is Kevin Calloway, and in the spirit of keeping things real, let’s rap for a second, Ok? I am a newly minted 25-year-old hailing from the West Athens section of Southern California. For those who don’t know where I’m talking about, it's nestled between the cities of Gardena (who no one has heard of, but is bomb none the less), Compton (who lays claim to the Williams sisters and Kung-Fu Kenny), Inglewood (shout out to Baby Boy), and Hawthorne (which is the route you take when you want to go towards the beach).
Now that we’ve gotten that out of way, let’s dig a little deeper shall we. As I currently write this post, I’m broke. Like super duper dead ass broke. I have maybe 20 or so dollars in my account and won’t get paid until Friday, which really isn’t all that bad, depending on who you ask. For me, $20 for the week is almost a Godsend. So long as my rent is paid and top ramen keeps their noodles at about a dollar, I’m peachy keen. But we’re not here to listen to me mope about my sever lack of finances. The fact that I will soon get a check that will momentarily keep me out of the poverty line, gives me hope. However, we are here for a reason, that reason being, I am fed the fuck up.
I turned 25 recently (hey mid-20s), and with that came the realization that there is a lot of s**t that I don’t know. (Sidenote-I have a tendency to cuss depending on my mood and how much I’ve had to drink. You've been warned).
In any case I turned 25 in July, and while I was happy to have made it to such a revered age, I quickly began to feel this looming presence of inadequacy. While I’ve accomplished a fair amount of things in my life that bring me immense pride, the realization of the things that I don’t know bit me to my core, and really made me question exactly where I was at and where I was going. It should be noted that I started 2017 on a relatively high note. I knew this was the year I would hit the big 2-5, but I was determined to greet it head on. I was doing everything I new I could to prepare for it. I worked out. I ate better. I doubled down at work, coming in earlier and really pushing myself, so I could complete my grand scheme of getting a better job. I mean I was really doing it! And then, halfway through the race, I charley-horsed, and I mean I charley-horsed bad. The relationship I was in, crumbled. My healthy habits fell by the wayside. I stared second-guessing my own decisions, so much so I couldn’t even get through making breakfast without it becoming a 10 minute ordeal between cooking, or a double-smoked bacon from Starbucks (the double-smoked won out on more than several occasions). I was lonely, stressed out, and miserable. With what felt like a vast sea of bullshit, and no lifeboat in sight, I was drowning in a literal sea of despair.
This went on for a while, until I finally was able to break away from my obligations, and take a much needed trip back to home (I currently live in Sacramento, CA). While there, I did everything that one does when they haven’t been home in a while: Ate. I mean I was a glutton. I had Roscoes, Ramona’s, and a slew of my favorite foods that I’ve deprived myself of. More importantly, though, I was able to just reconnect with my city, my tribe, and most importantly, myself. I knew I was unhappy, but the magnitude of my low-grade depression didn’t really hit me until I was there. Ya boy was gone, and it took me everything in me to not just stay. But alas I didn’t, and made my way back to Sacramento, and came to the conclusion that something had to change, and quick. And from there, The 20Something Project was born (sort of).
See this site is something that has been in the works for a minute. A while ago an idea was planted in my head to create a place where I could wade through some of my issues without worry. A safe space where I could grow, and exchange life lessons with those around me. I see so many people in my age group who are open in admitting their frustrations and fears as they trudge through what is arguably one of the most crucial times in their life. I feel like there are so many articles aimed at those who are in their 20s, lecturing them about what it is they need to do or be, in the pursuit of an almost unobtainable goal of having it all together. If it’s not that, then 20-year-olds are given the moniker of ‘fill-in-the-blank slayer.’ I mean we’ve killed off so many things you’d think they’d issue a collective warrant for our arrests. Being in your 20s is not easy, but if there’s anything I’ve learned in my time on this planet, it’s that there is beauty in the struggle, and power in numbers.
Look, I’m shooting straight when I say these past few months have been overwhelmingly taxing for me. Between work and bills and life, to say the thought of pulling a 2007 Britney Spears moment doesn’t cross my mind on the daily, would be a lie. But, I’ve also been privy to some truly amazing moments, and it’s the idea that there are even more amazing moments to come that keep me pushing. There are so many things I don’t have the answer to, and probably won’t get an answer to for years to come. However, there are so many people, both in their 20s and beyond, who I hope to learn from. And who contribute so much to our world. The 20Something Project is not meant to be a place of judgment, or a creed about how 20-somethings should be living their life. The 20Something Project is meant to be an inclusive space, where ideas and life-lessons can be exchanged. Where people are able to express themselves, and possibly gain new insight. There is so much that I do know, and even more that I don’t, and I plan on exploring both avenues. I will never admit to getting it right, or to always have the answer, but I am more than open to new viewpoints that can help me navigate this precarious stage of my life. And I’m hopeful those who visit will be open too.
Being in your 20s can be harsh, but it can also lend itself to some life-altering decisions if you let it. No one told us it would be easy, but nothing in life ever is. As SZA so bluntly put it, ""God bless these 20-somethings."