So I Turned 30. It’s Not Scary.
Life doesn’t end at 25.
Until 21 or so, I looked forward to my birthday each year. I’d make sure to nudge my friends on social networks and prepare to be showered in birthday wishes.
In my young adulthood, my friends and I wished for fine lines to appear under our eyes. The night before a party badly slept was appraised, as it equaled a face that looked more worn out, possibly by the years. This increased the chances of not getting asked for an ID at clubs where the minimum age was 18 or 21. The biggest rush overcame us when we got in and got to party with the “real adults”.
“Forbidden Entry” is an invitation, and it should never be refused. — Ciaran Fahey
Yep, we got ourselves started young. Now having turned 30, I for sure don’t wish further fine lines forming on my face. I’ll do what I can to prevent them from deepening. One alcoholic drink or less is my new monthly standard and I couldn’t care less about getting hammered at a bar or club.
We were young. Those things mattered to us, or so we thought they did. It’s not the most valuable way to spend time, but we were exploring the world around us. Having partied a lot in earlier years means the urge to do so is not there today, at all.
From the moment I turned 27, I felt the Big Three-O creeping in. And I wasn’t having any of it. “How’s your career going? What about buying a house?” Calm down. If those things need to happen, they’ll do so on my schedule.
I used to feel that I should have my entire life together, mapped out, structured and stable. Guess what. I don’t, and I would lie if I told you I have. The path has been anything but linear. I’m in the middle of figuring things out and I am fine with this.
It felt like time went so fast the past year. The only thing I’m scared of is waking up one day, much older than I am now, and realizing I didn’t do the things I wanted to do. I am guilty of letting it happen in my 20s. I’ll do my best to prevent it from escalating like that again.
Anxiety crept in before leaving my 20s. Those TikToks joking about millennials minding their own business and their 30s staring them down from a dark corner of the room with a smirk on their face? That perfectly conveyed the mood.
When the day finally was here, I expected to feel more. That’s it? That’s all? I was expecting to have a silent meltdown in my apartment. In reality, it felt just like New Year’s Eve. Personally, I don’t celebrate or attach much value to this holiday, if any at all. It’s just a date changing. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions either, because it puts so much pressure on this one date.
We get a clean slate every day. We don’t need to wait for the date to change.
There’s no rush in life. I believe we spend time to our best ability. We look for tools that help us work better and waste less time, such as Focusmate, or browser extensions that stop you from scrolling on distracting websites. We set goals we try to accomplish and celebrate when we do.
“Age is just a number. Your body tells you what you can and what you can’t do.” — Grandma Ellie
Comparing your circumstances and abilities to someone else who probably wants different things than you does not make sense. I don’t care anymore about this idea that by 30, you should be settled. My terms of settling will look different than yours.
It’s not the number that’s scary. It’s not using the years within the numbers to your best ability. Regardless of age, as long as you’re breathing, you have a shot at making a chance for yourself, ideally for the better.
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