Turning 30 shouldn’t feel depressing. After all, I’m entering my 31st year. If there was a time to be depressed it was last year. Don’t get mad at me 29 year olds, I’m only joking. Plus, as my stepdad duly notes, you have two options in life – get older or kick the bucket. Putting it that way, aging isn’t so bad at all. Shouldn’t we instead focus on how amazing it is that we are still living after all these years? That’s a lot of heartbeats!
I planned on writing one of those 20 things I learned in my 20’s posts, but I got to the third lesson and quit. It was like pulling teeth (and this was after I told Eric that thinking of 20 lessons would be “easy”). Maybe I need more time to process the last 10 years…
My best friend Allison always makes me laugh, especially when she reflects on our current age. This year she said, “I don’t know about you but I always think of myself as about 22 (until I meet an actual 22 year old and then I’m like, whoa I’m definitely 30, haha).”
Girl kills me!
Eric and I went on a road trip to the Niagara region on my birthday this past Thursday – for once the weather was hot and sunny! We stopped into the outlets in Buffalo for the morning and I found myself gasping at how short the shorts are “these days”. Were they always that short? Did I ever pull this off? When did I start saying “these days”. Also, who is fitting into these annoying Super Skinny Jeans? As if regular skinny jeans weren’t torture enough. I couldn’t even get some of the jeans half way up my calves. I’m going to start a line of jeans called Runner’s Legz.
Yup, I’m officially in my 30’s. At least, articles like this remind me that I’m not alone in my time warp!
It’s been a great decade though, even in spite of all the self-doubt and uncertainty. Thankfully, I remember the ups much more than the downs. I earned an Undergraduate and Master’s degree, married my best friend, moved a handful of times, traveled a bit, turned a passion into a business, and wrote my first book. I’d love to be able to tell you that I feel like I’ve conquered my inner demons and emotional baggage so I can start my 30’s with a clean slate, but that feels far from the truth. I still feel like there is a lot I need to overcome on a personal level. It’s an ever-evolving process. There are so many unknowns about what the next decade will bring, but I do know that I’m excited for the adventure to continue.
and now it’s time to celebrate!
Happy belated birthday!
Turning 30 is a big milestone; I remember thinking that it was going to freak me out, but instead, I found that I felt profoundly grateful. With age comes experience, wisdom, and — my personal favorite — greater self-knowledge and self-assurance. I feel a whole lot less inclined to apologize for myself (or attempt to be someone I’m not) than I was at 20, and I’d take wrinkles and self-confidence over my youth any day of the week. :)
Here’s to an awesome decade ahead!
Happy birthday Angela! This was such a lovely post.
I’m excited for when you will return to regular posting so I can read more of your inspiring words lol. I am also very excited for your cookbook to come out! Hope everything is going well and have a great weekend!
Happy belated birthday!
& I think your friend Allison nailed it – that is exactly how I feel, too.
Best wishes for your upcoming decade.
Happy Birthday! Is it today? Mine was yesterday (28 years). Have a great day and enjoy the wisdom of getting older! I would never want to go back to being 18 for instance…
Happy belated birthday! Mine was on Thursday :) Hope you are enjoying your “birthday month” as I call it around here. hah
Happy Birthday! Hope you had a wonderful day. Did you celebrate with a cake? Any delicious recipes? I have a birthday coming up and would like to cook something gluten and dairy free :)
Philippa x
Hey Philippa, I have a recipe coming up Monday for a 2 ingredient chocolate fudge frosting that I’m pairing with my chocolate cupcakes :)
Happy birthday! My 30th is a week from today. I’m really looking forward to my thirties — I feel like I’m getting more grounded as the years go along. Plus, my twenties were spent as a broke grad student, so now that I have a real job, the thirties are going to be my decade of travel!
Happy Birthday!! 30 is the best. I say this as a knowing 32 year-old. ;)
Congrats lady! I hope you had an awesome day xD
Turning 30 seems like a deadline to me, because then I’ll be OLD and should have lived my 20s like a tornado or something, acomplishing anything that crossed my mind. Not gonna happen, I can tell you! Although I will have obtained a Master of Arts degree, and a job (these days that’s something), and have met a great guy, and have travelled Latin America a lot alone. I bet that when you’re 39 you wish you woudn’t have dreaded it that much! I think that that will cross my mind if I don’t turn around these destructive thoughts of mine :) and that the things I have done in my 20s are good enough. Think I’m getting there already…
Enjoy the weekend! Here in Holland it’s Pentecost weekend and I hope sincerely that the weather will turn around… seems that rain’s all there is these days (wish I’d stayed forever in some Latin country).
xoxo M
Yes indeed when you are 39 you know better than to spend any time wishing you had done things differently. I try to soak up every wonderful moment of life. Sure you have done wonderful things in your 20s, but why can’t you do even more in your 30s. 30 is not old :)
Hope you had a beautiful birthday!!
Happy birthday, Angela! :-)
Hahaha I’m only 24 and even I look at 22 year olds and realise that I’m nothing like them! ;) Happy birthday! :)
Happy birthday! :o)
On the subject of clothes: if it makes you feel any better, I’m five years younger than you and the lack of length on shorts this season and super skinny jeans both drive me absolutely bonkers! I’m glad that I’m not the only one!
Happy belated birthday! I turn 30 in a couple of months and keep waiting for the “OMG I’m no longer in my 20s” fear and loathing to happen and so far it hasn’t. However, I do find myself reflecting a lot on what I did, what I’d still like to do and what direction I want my life to take. And than I realize that so far, I’ve done pretty good and stop being so analytical. Hope you had a wonderful day and wishing you an awesome next year and decade of life!
Happy Birthday, Angela! Looks like you had a great time. I’m 36 and still feel 26…but I share the same sentiment as your friend Allison. lol.
Happy Birthday Angela! I will buy Runners Legz! I was just griping about the same issue. Do you know they even have skinny jeans for little boys! Ridiculous.
I have to say as I quickly approach 40 I feel nothing but blessed to experience another year. I stumbled on your blog about 3 years ago and thanks to many of your recipes and lots of green monster smoothies I have completely changed my diet. Thanks to the changes I have made in my life I feel better and younger at 39 than I did at 29.
Enjoy your birthday month!
I. would. totally. buy. those. jeans! I honestly can’t believe that there is not a brand of jeans out there for athletic girls. Room in the legs and rear for our awesome muscles and smaller in the waist.
Welcome to the 30 club! I just hit that milestone in March. Though I didn’t give much reflection to it. Perhaps I should.
Lovely post. :)
Happy belated birthday, fellow Taurus! May this be an empowering, peaceful, loving year for you.
All the very best wishes for your birthday:) My outlook on age is the same as it is about weight. It’s all how you feel and it’s not about the number!
Happy Birthday! I’m turning 30 in August…so not looking forward to it!
Happy Birthday, Angela! You’re a Taurus?! Me, too! My birthday was last Friday (the 10th)! Wish you all the best! Check out my blog, rawveganliving.blogspot.com
Happy belated! :)