I have had different emotions about my upcoming birthday of 29 and part of me was wondering if this is the last good year? There are many things I wanted to accomplish by the time I turned 30, and it is amazing to me that my deadline is down to just 12 months! Where has the time gone? I keep a pretty solid journal and thought that this would be a good entry to share and even get some thoughts from others. Bottom line for me is that even though Life isn’t Fair, it is still Good.
The great mystery to young people is that they think older people are SO much different when in fact we are so much the same, just with different problems. Instead of being afraid you won’t be accepted in the Red Rover line at recess, our apprehension comes from unfairness in the job, the dating scene and a grim reality that we might never find the “one,” paying bills, dealing with insurance, adult friendship, and [gulp] having children and placing this difficult thing we call “life” upon another.
When I was younger I would look at someone who was older, let’s face it they were probably 25, and think they had it all figured out. Then when I turned 25 I thought I was the one who had it all figured out. Now, I don’t claim to know a damn thing and think I have been all the wiser for doing so!
We are making these great changes in our lives; getting married, having babies, buying houses, and I think that we just all don’t know what we are doing until we do it! Life is a work in progress. We will learn from our mistakes (like buying a condo right before the housing bubble burst?), let’s just hope no one else gets hurt in the process.
I know a lot of people in their old age write about the things they’ve learned… well here is what a 29 year old knows:
- Only marry someone who you truly, with 110% of your heart, know is the “one.” Some days Steven is the only thing I feel is great in my life and I couldn’t be happier that I am in his.
- However long you think it will take you to pay off your student loans, multiply that by 5.
- True friends are hard to come by. When you find a good one, hold onto him/ her.
- Staying positive is the most important (and sometimes the hardest) thing to do - in any situation. If that doesn’t work, lower your expectations. ;)
"The past is finished. Learn from it and let it go. The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it. Worrying is worthless. When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment. Then you will begin to experience joy in life."
I find that I often live in the past and worry about the future and that is what my 30s will be for – learning to live in the present. Right now, at 29, I have GOT to get these architectural registration exams over with! See? Life isn’t fair, but it is good.
