My 20s were the time of my life, drinking, partying, staying up late, being carefree. There is no one to tell you what to do anymore and its nice to be able to let your hair down, make adult decisions after having someone tell you what to do all your life. Or so I thought...
Now I am only about three months into my 30s but already I feel like its a totally different era for me. Now, I can't deny the fact that I'm sure my life changing event that happened earlier this year has factored into the way I feel but I feel more at ease with myself than I have ever felt. Now don't get me wrong, I can still let my hair down and party with the best of them but its less of a priority of who I am now and fewer and farther in between. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with not really having all the free time that I used to have and being physically exhausted when I do as well. But I also plan my weekends now based on what activities Max and I are going to do making what (if any) alone time I get an after thought. He and I are a team and if you get one, you get the other (especially since I'm starting to wonder if there is still an umbilical cord attached somewhere). And although he is a total hand full at times (example: pulling his pants down and going pee in front of 50 people or so at a river function this weekend. Sorry people, hes newly potty trained), he is more and more fun and funny every day and is a large source of love and entertainment for me. Lets be honest, my life would be boring and dull without him.
Another thing I have noticed about being 30 and other people who are 30 is that they really don't give a shit about what everyone thinks about them anymore. What you see is what you get. Now, don't get me wrong, I felt this way before (mainly in my mid and late 20s) but it seems to be more universal and intensified. Just saying people...don't ask me my opinion if you don't want an honest one because I'm not going to sugar coat it anymore. And I think in general people in their 30s are better at communicating to you how they feel and valuing your honest feelings over not giving their true feelings because it may not be what you want to hear. I can think of a few occasions where I have asked a friend recently "Am I being stupid over this (issue)?" Friend: "Yes." Me: "Okay. I will stop.", and then I move on without even dwelling or thinking twice about it.
I feel like you spend so much of your 20s still trying to figure out who you are and what you are doing here and what you like and what you don't. All of your life experiences mold you into who you are but I think you have a better sense of who that person is by the time you turn 30 and fewer mis-steps. I did a lot of stupid shit in my teens and twenties that have given me that life experience into knowing what I do and don't want to do in the future. I definitely believe you can learn more from your mis-steps, than your successful endeavors. It feels like the more you get to really know and understand yourself, the easier and more fun life gets. Although I know a lot of people who say things like "I wish I could be young and carefree again and not have to worry about some of my adult problems", seeing my toddler, life can still be challenging and frustrating when you are an adolescent. Then of course teenage years are just pure hell, trying to assert your independence, being defiant, getting in trouble, being socially awkward, and always worrying about what your peers think. And your 20s although much better than your teens, you are still trying to find yourself and with a fairly new sense of independence, it can be very challenging and mistakes come easy. I actually find it ironic now, I cried and/or had a panic attack every year on my birthday in my 20s knowing I was getting older and closer to that 30 mark and this year on my 30th, I threw a party, I didn't shed a tear, didn't panic about anything including getting the party ready, just was nice, tranquil, and relaxing.
So for whoever came up with the adage "life beings at ___(insert age, hear it with all sorts of different ones)", I really feel like my life, having a clearing understanding of myself, re-begins at 30.
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