Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thirty.

I remember, when I was seven years old, being hid in the back bedroom of a house with all the other kids. Those kids' parents were throwing my mother a surprise birthday party. They thought it would be cute to theme the party "Over the Hill."

My mom turned thirty that day. I remember hearing them all yell surprise through the bedroom door.

Two days ago I turned thirty. There were even a few close friends who yelled surprise when I opened the door. Except I don't have a 7 -year-old daughter waiting in the back bedroom. I babysit a 7-year-old.

My earliest experience associated with thirty is also associated with the words "Over the Hill."

Hmmmmm.

I don't feel anywhere close to a hill.

I was a little worried about thirty. Mostly because when my mom was thirty she had two kids who where 7 and 5. That makes me feel like I'm late on a few things. But I already like thirty. It's liberating. Who cares what everyone else thinks when you're thirty. Everyone else can kiss ass. See, I even said ass when I knew a good bit of you wouldn't approve.

I'm embracing the thirties.

I went to a yoga class today and the instructor had this to say: "Don't fixate on the goal. Fixating on the goal leads to negative feelings towards others who reach the goal and negative feelings towards ourselves if we don't meet the goal as fast as we hope. Instead focus on the present, how you feel in each pose and in each movement. No judgment. Wherever you are today is exactly where you should be."

That's kinda what thirty feels like to me. It feels good.

7 comments:

SandinaJ said...

30 feels good, doesn't it? I love your yoga instructor's quote. That's perfect for so many life situations.

Roy said...

Thirty does feel good. Or did, I should say. I think the expectations of feeling old at thirty lead to the pleasant surprise of things not being nearly as bad as you thought they'd be. Except nose hairs. But that may be a guy thing.

At forty, on the other hand, things really do start to go downhill. It's not the end of the road, by any means, but it's a milestone you feel a lot more.

Happy birthday!

nicole said...

Happy Birthday! I'll be 30 in August. I'm in denial. I think because in a lot of ways I've always had the outlook you describe, but that doesn't explain what my deal is. 30 just seems like full-fledged adulthood, and I still feel like I'm faking it, five kids and all. Guess I better get used to the idea though.

Chaotic Hammer said...

Happy (belated) Birthday!!

I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear what somebody in his mid-forties thinks of turning thirty, but I'll offer my silly opinion anyway: Enjoy! You are at a wonderful peak in your life, in most every way. You're still young and healthy and strong, and still full of passion. But you've also gained considerable wisdom that you didn't have in your teens and twenties. These are the best years of your life, and they will continue to get better.

The truth is that higher numbers and older ages always sound scary and bad when you're younger, but when you arrive, you realize it was pretty badly over-hyped. Glad to hear you're embracing it -- that's the right approach, and reflects a wisdom beyond your years. :-)

Anonymous said...

"If you haven't achieved 'your dream' (I mean the real one baby!) by age 30, you never will"

moral - be careful how you define your dream

~anon

Anonymous said...

Happy B-day amiga,I can tell 1st Anon is a looser, enjoy what you are doing, never give up!!!

Douglas said...

Happy belated B-day.

Wow, that's a good thing you don't feel anywhere near a hill. Personally, I've noticed a big difference in injury recovery and propensity. As my 24 year old coworker said to a couple of us early 30's guys who had recently visited the doctor/acupuncturist, "Dude, you guys are old. When I get hurt, I just drink it off."

Maybe women age more slowly than men.