Well. It happened. I have officially left my twenties. GAH. What a decade of turbulence. It college, early marriage, and the diaper decade all rolled into one. All of which makes me happy to have left the New Adolescence behind. (That's 1 Thing)
But. . .
I have now officially joined the establishment. Seriously. For my birthday, I helped set up and pull off my ward's Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. For fun I wash the dishes while watching Cake Boss. To unwind I scrapbook pictures of my kids. I have four kids and have been married for a decade--and both facts have ceased to amaze people. I am settled. (That's 2-9)
But. . .
This new settled state (my recent SSRI ups and downs aside; BTW, doing much better now) has given me something I never expected it to: a new ground from which to take off. Sure, I'm tied down to a husband and kids so I won't be backpacking around Europe or driving the length of Route 66 any time soon, but, well, I'm also not spending a heckuva lot of energy worry about if anyone will ever really love me. (The answer to that one is both yes and no.) And I'm not constantly worrying about what to do with a new baby or if the changing color of their poop means something. (The answer to that one is also both yes and no.) I'm in a new phase. New opportunities are appearing on the horizon. Not only do I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I can actually see it. And it's inspiring. (Things number 10-21 just happened there.)
A Few Remaining Things About Being Thirty:
*It's not that old.
*My husband, sister, and best friends will always be older.
*I don't have to keep up with pop culture because no one expects me to be hip anymore
* Lots of other awesome people are thirty like Jessica Biel and Brittany Spears (and the fact that I just referenced those two chicks really makes me sound old. . .)
*All my favorite songs are playing on the radio again--they just happen to be during the retrospective hours
*Fashion trends from my childhood are back. As soon as people start pegging their jeans and wearing multiple layers of sock again, I will be psyched.
* I actually know how to cook.
* I have read enough great books to enable me to find more of them
* I can eat chocolate for lunch and--as long as my kids don't see me--it absolutely doesn't matter!
And that, my friends, is true freedom.
4 comments:
Hooray for thirty! I always enjoy your writing and love your list. Do you think we thirty-somthings could start pegging our jeans and layering our socks and the trend would catch? Maybe it's already catching and we could somehow feel responsible... ;)
Happy birthday!
This may be one of my fave posts of yours ever. Made me laugh so hard! I gotta say I'm loving my 30s way more than I did my 20s!! Welcome to the brighter side! And yep, I WILL always be older than you (if not wiser);)
Who says you have to leave your 20's?? This is just the first anniversary of your 29th birthday!! My aunt it almost 50 and she still celebrates the anniversary of her 29th!! I am so glad to see you back! It has been a while since you posted and I was missing your blog!!
I'll peg my jeans if you will.
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