getting older

On Saturday, I will turn 31 years old. My thirtieth year has been one of the best years of my life. I know women are supposed to dread turning 30 and that some remain 29 for years, but I was very excited about turning the big 3-0. I was at such a wonderful place in my life, married to a wonderful man--and a mother at last!

So much of my 20s were so painful and I spent so much time soul-searching... I think life is like this: you spend your 20s trying to figure out what path your life will follow. You experiment with some self-destructive behavior and date some very "unique" personalities looking for a good fit. When you enter your 30s, you finally know who you really are, and you're ready to nurture that person. You work out just what exactly you feel about God and where you fit into the world. You decide to take better care of the poor body you abused so much in your 20s. Maybe that means you cut out all illegal habits, maybe that means you eat better and start to really exercise. You realize that, for better or for worse, this is the body you're stuck with, so you'd better take care of it. Likewise, you realize that your family is the family you are stuck with, so you'd better get along with them, too! You call your parents more and you try to be more patient with them. God knows they've been patient with you for the past 30 years!