I was reading birthday posts from the past and ran across this little bit of advice that a friend had written when I was stressing out about turning 30. It rings more true today then it did four years ago. I could make a list of 35 things I want to do before I turn 35 and frankly, I probably will. But I'm hoping that my guiding principle-the philosophy by which I measure all of those goals-will be to be kinder and to seek experiences that will make life more interesting. I want to meet more people, deepen the relationships I have with the ones I already know, try things that seem scary, unlock more talents, push push push. There may have been a time in my early twenties when I was afraid of getting older but the last few years have proved that truly, every year is just more amazing then the last.
So bring it 34, I'm not scared of you.
about the 30s... best years of my life. there is this feeling of
accumulation (not in the material sense), which i suppose is better termed
"maturity". the basis of experience grows and grows and it is just
awesome. it's funny, cause ever since t and i "adopted" our niece,
we've been pushing her to do new things, try new things, etc (you know the
drill). she's always like, "why?" and seriously the best response we can
ever come up with (besides the old 'get a body and gain experinece') is
"it will make you more interesting". well, it's hilarious now because it
seems like everyday she comes home from school and it's either "i met someone
from canada" or "i met someone from china" or "i met someone from california"
(all places that she has lived). and i'm just like, "yes!" because it's
stretching her out (is this making any sense at all?!?!?). summary -- if
you find joy in life in other people (which you obviously do), then experience
is the ultimate way to broaden yourself and your circle. we met this
couple here that seemed nice but then it was like "you've been there? us
too. you lived where? you went there for school?" and you know how
the story goes. maybe it's shallow, but i love that. i love having
some kind of bridge with a person and the older i get the completely easier that
becomes. sometimes i feel like given 3 minutes and a few questions i can
hang with anyone. maybe they are just my "we talk music" friend or "we
talk baseball" friend or (like at church now) "this guy is a firefighter and
that's a dream i never got over" friend, but it's something and it always has
the capacity to go deeper. what's my point? as long as we live clean
and open, life just gets better. i dig it.
2 comments:
Happy, happy birthday. As someone else who stresses about getting older, I can honestly say it really does just keep getting better and I don't regret a single lesson life has taught me (or even its timetable)
what? you're only 34? how did you escape the extra year that makes me turn 35 in 2 months? now, I kind of vaguely remember that you were a year younger than our class when we were little, but still... no fair. well, I do agree with you, the 30's have been the best years of my life too. (I read all my teenage and early 20's journals the other day... oh dear...) I hope life always gets better this way. If it does, I think we're in for a real treat :) Hope you really did have a wonderful birthday!!!
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