It’s been months since I posted here and to make matters worse the following post has nothing to do with our house. If a house is part of your life, then the following is somewhat applicable.
It’s my thirtieth birthday and I’m feeling a little strange. Like I’m wearing a new pair of pants and they don’t quite fit quite. I need a tailor or a time machine, or both. Feels like every time I blink three years go by. Blink. There’s another six months….blink, blink, blink.
Today it feels like I finished a good book and I want to read it again, sort of. My twenties were probably a lot like everyone else’s; full of high highs and low lows, countless addresses, sad goodbyes, moments of extreme joy, a hangover or two, lots of wonderful friends, a wedding day, a family I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world. Did I mention fear? Fear was the leading act in my twenties. The fear of falling in love. The quiet and prolonged fear of falling out of love. The fear of -$29 in your bank account, plus the $35 bank fee, so that’s -$64. The fear of a big opportunity. The fear of fucking it up. Did I mention packing up all your things, boarding a plane (exactly twice), with a new life on the other end? The latter is fear personified but I would recommend it, at least once. In my twenties, I also had several dates with delusions of grandeur and a long-term relationship with a lack of self confidence. I’m planning on breaking up with both, starting today.
So anyway, now that I’m saying all this it sounds like I actually had very little to be fearful of and that’s one of the lessons I’m making myself learn in my thirties. There is not much to fear. Maybe just yourself and maybe your government, but I digress. Below are 30 things I want to take with me into my thirties. I tried to avoid the words “believe” and “dream”, but cliches are cliches for a reason.
Thirty things to remember at thirty (note the efficient bullet points, my attention span has dwindled):
1) There’s nothing to be afraid of, really there isn’t
2) It’s not all about you (I obviously still need to learn this one)
3) Say yes to most things
4) Life is short (someone may have covered this one already)
5) Be (selectively) impulsive
6) Love with everything you’ve got
7) Shut up and say thank you (grandma C.C. told me this many years ago but I continually have to remind myself)
8)Surprise yourself
9) Nostalgia is healthy in small doses
10) Communicate better, exaggerate less (unless you’re at a bar and people are laughing)
11) Be more responsible (you’re an adult, Sarah)
12) Read the directions (most of the time), it’s not all pretty pictures
13) Work more, make more, be more efficient
14) Do good things
15) Smile, keep chin up
16) Be young at heart
17) Being shy is stupid
18) Stop dropping expensive things; cameras, iphones, etc.
19) Believe that 30 is the new 20 (and then when you’re 40 believe it is the new 30 and so on…)
20) Dream, big and then dream bigger than that
21) Be so thankful it hurts
22) Believe in yourself
23) Believe in everyone around you
24) Be a better wife, friend, sister, daughter
25) Don’t be so hard on yourself
26) Did I say, “It’s not all about you?” (I really need to hammer that one in)
27) Don’t waste time worrying about grey hair and wrinkles; personality wins out in the end
28) Do. Make mistakes and adjust as you go
29) Stop apologizing (unless you were a real jerk - sorry Dustin)
30) Be more positive, there are so many incredible things to look forward to
p.s. Mom, Dad, and especially Joe, I want you to know how much I love you today. I want to thank you for everything you’ve given me. Most notably a profound and distinct lack of fear in most things.
xo,
Sarah
