Dear Paula Jean: This Is Where It Begins
Dear Paula Jean,
I’m in my 20s, figuring out adulthood one lesson at a time, and there are moments when I wish I could ask you all the things people usually ask their moms. The small things, the big things, the things no one warns you about.
So writing to you became the way I process everything — not because I have the answers, but because I’m learning them as I go.
These letters aren’t about certainty.
They’re about honesty, growth, and the kind of understanding that comes from living through something — not mastering it.
And somewhere in all of this, I realized that these reflections weren’t just helping me.
Other women in their 20s were navigating the same things.
Quietly. Alone. Trying their best.
So this is where it begins — not with perfection, but with intention.
Why I’m Starting Now
I’m not trying to be the girl who pretends she has everything figured out. I’m the girl who’s actively figuring it out — with the career decisions, the finances, the routines, the relationships, the confidence, and the messy in-between moments.
And honestly, that’s what makes this worth sharing.
Your 20s are confusing and exciting and overwhelming and beautiful all at once. And doing it without a mom to call for advice adds a layer most people never see.
I’m not writing from expertise.
I’m writing from experience — the real-time, still-learning, still-becoming kind.
And maybe that’s the kind of honesty someone else needs too.
What Dear Paula Jean Means to Me
This isn’t a grief project or a diary.
It’s a grounding practice — a way of staying connected to the values she gave me and the woman she raised me to be.
When I write Dear Paula Jean, I’m:
talking to her
talking to myself
and talking to anyone else who’s learning as they go
It’s a way to put words to lessons I’m collecting in real time.
A way to make sense of the things I wish I could ask.
A way to turn personal growth into something shareable.
What You’ll Find Here
This blog lives in the in-between — not childhood, not full adulthood, but the space where everything feels new and a little uncertain.
Here, you’ll find me navigating:
Life in my 20s
Relationships
Friendships
Career and Growth
Finances and Independence
Routines that keep me grounded
It’s a lifestyle with depth.
Aesthetic with intention.
Softness with honesty.
Why This Matters to Me
Because I don’t want to navigate everything silently anymore.
Because so much of what I’m learning feels too universal — too relatable — not to share.
And because I know there are other women who are also trying to grow into the best versions of themselves without a roadmap.
I’m not ahead of the journey.
I’m just in it.
And sharing where I am might help someone else feel less alone where they are.
A New Chapter Starts Here
If you’re reading this first post, I’m truly grateful.
This is the beginning of something personal, intentional, and evolving — something I’m building while I grow into the woman I’m becoming.
This is Dear Paula Jean.
And this is where it begins.
Love,
Emma (and always, for you - Paula Jean)
