30 Years + What I Have Learned in Them.

Man… It has been way too long since I sat down to write here. Looking at the date of my last entry really just shocked me a little.

Maybe it was the anxiety of moving across the country, or the fact that I had a baby eating up all of my brain space… I’m not sure what it really was that kept me away, though I thought of it often… I just had a hard time actually sitting down and putting my words down. But here I am.

I’ve gotta say, it feels good.

You know what else feels good? The fact that I turned thirty years old this week… finally. I made it. It kind of feels like I have been waiting forever (plus a day) to turn thirty. Seriously, since I was probably about twenty-four… I have been lusting after thirty. I always knew it would just feel more me. I honestly have never mourned getting older, likely because I don’t place value on youth in the way that others might.

Oh, sure. It was nice back when I could drink more than three drinks without having a hangover… that night. And yes, I miss the days where I could eat whatever I wanted without worrying how it would effect my “gut health” – but honestly, I love the idea of finally being able to view myself as a bonafide adult. There were so many times in the past six years when people would find out my age and audibly gasp with horror at how young I am… (see that, I still consider myself young after all.)

With the twenties behind me, and the end of the decade upon us, I felt compelled to do what everyone does when they turn thirty.  I deleted my social media apps and really leaned into the feeling of being my true age, and then I made a list of the thirty things I have learned over the years. They are as follows.

1. Praying and meditating will always calm a worried heart.
2. Loving yourself is not selfish, and is completely necessary to create success for all other areas in your life.
3. Your relationship with your spouse should be one of the most important things to you.
4. No amount of advice from others can compare to your internal instinct. Unless the advice is from an expert.
5. A good nude and a good red lipstick are the only two colors you will ever need.
6. Your word is all you have. Be careful with what you say and what you promise.
7. Children are truly God’s gift and have so much more to teach us than we have to teach them.
8. The lessons we need to learn will keep returning to us until we face them head on.
9. What you put out into the world, is what you will see, and what will return to you.
10. When you feel like no one is checking in on you, that’s a good time to check in on others.
11. Active listening, rather than waiting for your turn to talk, is a skill worth practicing.
12. It is okay to feel like you don’t have everything figured out.
13. It is okay to feel like you failed at something.
14. It is okay to feel like you made a mistake.
15. It is okay to feel sad.
16. It is not okay to live in that place, or to hold it against others.
17. Being a parent is crazy hard but incredibly important work.
18. You never have to do anything you do not want to do.
19. Anything you do decide to do, should be in line with your values and morals.
20. How people behave is a reflection of them, not you.
21. Being right is not more important than being kind.
22. You are an example and inspiration to someone, whether they are a child or an adult, whether they have said so or not, someone is looking to you.
23. Keeping that in mind, the only person who is responsible for your happiness is you, so doing things in an attempt to please others is often misguided.
24. Sometimes all you need is a hug.
25. Sometimes all you need is some fresh air.
26. Saying how you really feel might be hard for others to deal with, but dealing with it is on them, not on you. You should always say how you really feel.
27. Closed mouths don’t get fed.
28. Nothing in life is “one size fits all”- especially not yoga pants.
29. The small inconveniences of life do not dictate your life. If it won’t matter a year from now, it doesn’t matter at all.
30. Joy, play, and gratitude are the keys to your happiness.

With all that I have learned this far, I really can’t wait to see what the next decade brings! Happy Holidays, friends!