thirtysomething is fabulous

To this day I can still remember, as an awkward middle-schooler, thinking that my friend’s older, high school-aged sister was just so cool… and so mature. From my perspective at that age, the kids in high school were all-knowing and wise. They had it all figured out. I so wanted to be them. I thought high school was the prime of life, college aged kids were old, anyone in their 20s was ancient, and once you hit 30… forget it, it was all over. Obviously this thinking evolved as I made my way up in years and entered each different “life stage”, as opposed to just looking at them through the eyes of a 13-year old. High school was great, college was better, my 20s were amazing, and then as my 29th year neared the end, I looked ahead to the dreaded big 3-0. What would turning 30 really mean? Would I look back longingly to younger, more youthful times? Nope. Not at all. In fact, I find myself loving being 30-something. I am accomplished. I am fulfilled. I know who I am and who I aim to be. I have built up a killer group of friends and snagged myself my perfect husband. Together, with our 9-month old son, we are building a wonderful life. My 20s may have been amazing, but my 30s are turning out to be truly fabulous.

For most young women today, their 20s are a time of experience and self-discovery. They are excited to leave college behind and make their way in the “real world” that everyone speaks of, but they are not quite ready to be an “adult”. They are struggling to figure out what their BS in Communications or BA in English translates to in the career world, while also developing an enviable social life. Frat parties and dive bars have been replaced by cocktail hours and wine bars. Their girlfriends become their second family and support each other as they find careers, get their first great non-college apartment and date a series of Mr. Wrongs. As they near their higher-20s, some have found their Mr. Forever, established themselves in solid career paths and… gasp… actually start feeling like a true adult.

For me, my 30s have ended up being much more stereotypical then I ever would have imagined… got married, had a baby, made the dreaded move from the city to the suburbs. I have had younger friends recently ask, “Don’t you feel like you are missing out? Don’t you miss your old life? Isn’t there more that you want to be doing?”. In all honesty, no… I am quite happy with exactly where my life is now.

Living life to the fullest and experiencing all that you can during your 20s, allows you to enter your 30s feeling very satisfied. I never look back and think, “wish I did that”… because I did it all. I have gone, been, done, seen and experienced more than I can even begin to recount. When I see a group of 20-somethings out for a night on the town or rushing through an airport to make their flight to some far-off destination, I just smile. Been there, done that, loved it. My killer friends and I still enjoy plenty of times out together, just now instead of looking for the cheapest bottle of red on the menu, we are ordering our favorite Bordeaux.