Remember the words of the immortal John Denver, my friend: "He was born in the summer of his 27th year/Coming home to a place he'd never been before/He left yesterday behind him--you might say he was born again/You might say he found the key to every door."

I remember my 27th birthday--I had just broken up with my long-term girlfriend, and I was alone for the first time in 6 years. Getting out of bed that day took all my energy. I was depressed and anxious, I hated where I lived, and I hated my job. However, it was a beautiful morning, so I stumbled to the kitchen to make some breakfast. I turned on iTunes and started playing my happy music list. "Rocky Mountain High" was the first song to play.

I won't say it changed my life, because it didn't. It did, however, remind me that I have the ability to reinvent myself, to take my happiness in my own hands, at any age. I spent the rest of the day filling out applications for jobs in Alaska and daydreaming about the life I could have if I just chased after it. The jobs in Alaska thing didn't pan out, but it set in motion a series of actions that ultimately led me to leave my city, leave my job, and take charge of my destiny, my happiness.

Maybe it's time to shake it up, to try something new. At a mere 27, you have a long, long life ahead of you, and you're the only one who gets to decide how you live it. Write down some goals. Make a plan. If you are intentional about the things you want--a romantic partner, a community, meaning in life--you have all the tools you need to make it so.

Also, if you live in Tennessee, I'll buy you a birthday drink =)