Dedicated to Everyone Turning 30

I’m turning 30 tomorrow, and by the time many of you read this, tomorrow will already be here. Believe it or not, I’m looking forward to it. I’m not throwing a fit, proclaiming to the world “woe is me, my life is over, the end has come!!” You see I think the 30s are going to be great! And in honor of my birthday and all of you who have recently turned 30 or who will be turning 30 over the next year, I’m going to share my reasons for being so optimistic, some of which I’ve heard from friends, family, and colleagues.

Wisdom. I don’t think of 30 as being OLD, just being more experienced and hopefully a little wiser than I was 10 years ago. I feel survival of many of my varied experiences have helped me learn to make better decisions and weigh the possible results of my actions.

Perspective. Wisdom leads me to a better perspective than I had 10 years ago. I’m grateful to be alive and grateful to be healthy and surrounded by such wonderful family and friends. I feel very blessed in spite of some of the horrible things or situations I’ve witnessed or been apart of. They’ve all made me who I am today, and I hope that isn’t someone who’s so self-involved that I miss out on what’s important in life. 10 years ago I’m sure I was.

Productivity. The 30s are going to be a productive decade. This is because I waste less time now on stupidity and spend more time enjoying life, educating myself, and listening to the insight of others. And less time being bitter and self involved. Although I do watch a lot of TV still. But I’m convinced that has more to do with not having kids.

Knowledge. I’m learning more everyday, which may sound a little redundant, but wisdom and knowledge have two different meanings. I’ve always thought a day was productive if I’ve learned something new. Sometimes that’s a new skill at work like yesterday when I finally mastered vlookup in Excel rather than wasting my time with lookup. Who knew they were different and well that lookup was unnecessary if vlookup can still do what you want? Sometimes it’s just taking some time out of my day to read the paper or watch the news to find out what’s going on in our world. Sometimes it’s reading a book and since I can’t read novels, it’s usually some kind of book that educates me on a specific subject ideology, or perspective. I plan to keep learning and stockpiling that knew knowledge. Maybe I’ll stop when I’m much much older. Like 40. Just kidding my parents don’t seem old to me and they are twice my age or pushing it.

Stability. The older I get, the more stable I get. This comes in the form of marriage to a wonderful man, increasingly better jobs, and well let’s face it, working for the government. It’s pretty stable these days and really hard to screw up. Although it shouldn’t be that hard.

Respect. I’ve heard and am hopeful that I will get more respect in the work place in the 30s. There’s something about the 20s that I believe people judge as immature and inexperienced. Which may be true in some cases, but I believe unfairly judged in others. All you ever want in your 20s is for someone to take a chance on you, and unless you’re already set up with a dynamite connection or you magically find that person willing to take that chance on you, it seems hopeless.

Beauty. I think women are generally more beautiful in their 30s than in their 20s. Maybe it’s because they mature on the inside, which makes them overall more attractive. Maybe it has something to do with surviving the 20s that gives them a glow of courage and strength. Whatever it is, I plan to join the beautiful 30 something club.

And Finally….Slurppee kisses from the puppy. Need I say more?

And those are the reasons why I’m looking forward to the big 3-0.

And now….

Reasons I Know I’m Getting Older

1. More bills to pay than ever before in my life.
2. I’m obsessed with my skin imperfections, only now it’s discoloration more than zits.
3. I’m more opinionated now than ever. I just know if I should keep my opinions to myself in a face-to-face conversation better now.
4. McDonalds repulses me now more than ever. Although Taco Bell doesn’t, so that may have more to say about my preference than age.
5. I’m more obsessed with eating healthy and making up for the unhealthy times.
6. More gray hair than 11 years ago when the first one was horrifically discovered.
7. More Responsibility.
8. Getting the “when are you going to have kids” question more often, presumably because there must be a misconception that you MUST feel your biological clock ticking since you are now 30, and that women are infertile after 30. I guess I should tell that to all the women having healthy babies well into their 30s.
9. More creaking and sore bones and joints when I get out of bed.
10. Finally, this crazy obsession with fiber and getting enough of it and finding the most efficient yet tasty delivery method. Fiber One is great. And the powder in the bottle that you can add to your food did not work out so great for me.