Well, it happened. I turned 30.
It feels weird to no longer be a “20-something”. I was so comfortable being in my 20’s. It was something I looked forward to as a teenager. I wanted to be older. I wanted to be in my 20’s (specifically, 21) so that I could enjoy all that life had to offer (read: alcohol).
Now here I am, a man of 30. No longer the happy go-lucky guy in his 20’s. I am a bill paying, job going, soon to be mortgage having man.
I remember when I was a child and I would think about the year 2000. Of course, I expected that life would be more similar to the Jetsons than it is currently (I’m still waiting for my flying car). It seemed so far away. It was so incomprehensible that one day it would be the year 2000 and I would be 24. I never even fathomed what would happen 6 years after that when I turned 30.
A friend of mine told me a couple of years ago right after her 30th birthday, that she felt so confident and secure to be in her 30’s. She had a job, a husband, a life she adored. She said this while we munched on the birthday cake that she had smeared the “30” off of. She didn’t seem so confident or secure to me. Incidentally, she divorced her husband a year later.
I had somewhat of a “quarter-life crisis” when I turned 25. I was in a job that was rapidly draining all life out of me and living in a town that no longer had any secrets to share. I felt lost and uncertain what to do. So I quit my job, went back to school and became a nurse. It was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself and I never regret my decision. When looking back at my 20’s, I suppose that was sort of the pivotal moment of that decade. If I hadn’t made that one simple choice, I would still be in that boring little town working at that soul sucking job.
I wonder what amazing, life altering decisions I’ll make in my 30’s. If I had to guess, I think that this decade will mark the time that I become a parent. Yes, you heard it here first! A and I are considering having a child. We haven’t made a final decision yet, but if we do decide to go ahead with it than I think it will be the most amazing experience. People talk about marriage as though it is some beautiful, life affirming event. Bull shit. I’ve known far too many people who have gotten divorced to believe that marriage is anything other than a contract between two people. Unlike marriage, having a child is for life and not something you can just back out of. Once you do it, you’re in for the long haul.
As I look at myself, I realize that I’ve changed a lot over that last 10 years. I’ve become more secure in who I am as a person and my hairline has retreated slightly. I also seem to have acquired several traits that I used to associate with “old” people. I drink coffee with every meal and I complain when someone plays their music at a decibel I deem too high.
I can only imagine how much I’m going to change over the next 10 years. Hopefully, my hairline stays fairly steadfast and it doesn’t go gray too quickly. I guess I’ll just have another cup of coffee, turn down my music, and ponder it over for a little while.
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