Still a little ways to go yet

So the same day that I was all excited because I went to see a financial planner and "ooh" I'm starting to get my finances in order, two of my friends bought a house. Yes, that's right, not just one friend and her fiancé, but I found out that another friend at home also bought a house with her doctor-to-be husband. AND a friend from school here in Ottawa is looking seriously at houses with her boyfriend.

Okay. Don't know if I've already mentioned here that I'm having trouble dealing with the left behind feeling as I encounter engagement after engagement, weddings, careers, baby announcements, house buying, etc. My tone is no doubt giving away the fact that all these important life events happening to my friends, while I am super super happy for them and they only deserve the best, leaves me feeling a little more than slightly left out.

It's not that I'm ready to buy a house (I can't even afford to move into my own one-bedroom apartment). But there are many times when I feel like I've somehow missed the bus and am stuck waiting for the next one to come along. I will get there eventually, but in the meantime I get to hear all about it from my friends. Somehow, it doesn't seem the same.

On the one hand, it would be hard to go through these big things as the first one (I'm sure my friend would agree that it was difficult to be the first one of our friends to have a baby), but on the other hand, coming last almost makes me feel like what I do isn't quite as exciting or interesting as what my friends did, because it is no longer the "new" thing. I know it is ridiculous to suggest that people who care about me would negate anything wonderful happening in my life, in fact, often they are twice as excited for me because good things finally happen for me. But it's the way I perceive my situation. And as I've been reading, your life is all about perception.

To finish on a positive note, I am happy with the way my life is shaping up. I just have a ways to go until I get where I would like to be. But isn't that what our entire life is like? Striving to get to someplace, until we can get there and figure out the next step?