I did it, I made it to the big 3-0. It feels like just yesterday I was zipping around the garage on rollerskates, blasting music from my boombox. I remember being young and reading cereal boxes at breakfast. Now, I eat on the go and chug coffee during my morning commute. And today I thought I’d wake up feeling like I’m hosting a funeral for my twenties, but instead it feels more like a celebration of life. Truth is, I’m still figuring it all out. The difference now is that I’ve realized we all are, and I don’t think we ever stop trying. There is comfort in that. Little me had dreamed about this moment. I played with Barbie and gave her a dream house, which I thought I might own by now. I played pretend with friends where we found dates, got married, had babies, bought a house, and then won the game. But in the end it was just a fantasy, and one that in reality doesn’t nessesarily mean you’re winning. I don’t think anybody wants to grow up. Because growing up, as we’ve been taught, is all about buying stuff. What about those of us who aren’t satisfied with a new car, a new house, a new promotion? We’ve never been given an alternative, another story line. So I keep telling myself a different narrative and try my hardest to believe it. —Things are not going the way we predicted, but that’s okay. Instead of allowing these facts to lull you into darkness, find light in small things. Chase the sunsets and not salaries. Save memories over money. If you are still attempting to win the game, you have lost too much already. Take your life and play it out as you please. You are 30 years old, after all. Nobody is really watching you anyways.
You get sand all over my house, you always insist on licking my lotion off, and you never want to cuddle with me at night.. but you are growing on me big time 🤍
Having grown up in a place where the horizon stretched endlessly flat, I’m constantly awed by the peaks and valleys that now grace the view from my backyard. The gratitude I feel for this change of scenery persists even on my toughest days. It’s been a decade, yet I’m still discovering its secrets and marvels.
