Contentment at 31

Hello all,

It's funny, in my teens I always thought 30's were old.  I pictured 30 somethings as boring parents that wouldn't know fun if it hit them in the face.  Life, as I thought, would end on my last day of 29.

Well, after spending weeks leading up to my 30th birthday upset that I was not married nor did I have kids or even a career for that matter, I realized after, I turned 30 and I lived to tell about it!  I decided why should I have to wait to have a wedding to have a special day?  Instead of wallowing in my sorrows, I planned a 30th birthday dinner with 30 of my closest friends.  I got my hair "did" and my friend Bree bought me a 30th tiara.  I rang in my new decade looking good, happy, and blessed to be surrounded by people that loved and supported me.

30 and 31 have actually been ages of contentment.  I feel that I have such a better handle on who I am, what I want, and my value system.  I've tried hard to stray away from 20 something gossip, attempted to be less judgmental towards others, and hope to keep the simple things that mean the most in the forefront.

Each year of youth you lose, is a year of wisdom you gain.  I listen to the discussions of those three, five, or twelve years younger than me and try to explain my perspective, unfortunately though, it's a perspective they won't understand until they've been through it themselves.  You want them to bypass the mistakes you made and have no regrets, but, mistakes as painful as some could be, are only tools to teach us and better us. Instead of trying to prevent their mistakes, sometimes it's better to let them make it and be a silent observer but when they come through it, be there for support.

I've made mistakes, and I learned valuable lessons, as I'm sure I'll continue to do.  I dated frogs whom, when kissed, stayed frogs, but those relationships taught me lessons as well.  I do wish I had my 21 year old body with a view of the big open world with endless possibilities as well as the wisdom of my 31 year old self. That would be the ultimate combination.  I also still have a lot of fun, but a more sophisticated fine tuned fun. I have no desire anymore to pull all-nighters, but my friends and I just find other ways to laugh our heads off and still be a little "dangerous".

If I do have to find a downside to currently being 31, it would be; harder to lose weight, getting sick more often than being the bionic one who only got one cold a year, and dryer skin.  There, those are the worst things about being 31.

So, for those of you who refer to your 30's as the end of your life, trust me, it's not, the fun is not over.  Those of you a year or two away from 30, go with it!  You can either let time drag you along kicking and screaming or you can get ahead of it and run towards 30 dragging time behind you!  It is what you make of it!  By all means though, throw yourself a 30th birthday party! 30 should be celebrated just as when you celebrated your 21st, just don't be a pukey mess on your birthday, it's cool for your 21st, but for your 30th, people may think you should check into rehab!  :p