
I’ve been living well in my 30’s, if I do say so myself.
What I mean is I’ve had a lot of fun and made some awesome memories post-30th birthday.
For example:
- I moved west & begun creating the type of life best suited to me.
- I got a master’s degree in psychology.
- I’ve tried a bunch of new stuff: kayaking, paddle-boarding, mountain biking, snowshoeing, (soon to be) snowboarding, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, etc.
- I got an awesome dog.
- I read well over 100 books.
- I started writing for blogs beyond my own.
- I fell madly in love.
- I survived massive heartache.
- I faced and fought off my most significant shame stories.
- Did I mention I got an awesome dog???
One of the most interesting trends of my post-30-life has been the 1st date wedding date.
In less than 18 months I’ve had 3:
- The southern belle who gave me her card at brunch (in front of two aunts) and joined me later that evening for a cousin’s wedding.
- The fellow grad student who flew to Cabo last minute to spend a few days jaunting around Baja California.
- The PNWestener who brought me to a close friend’s wedding last minute and barely left the dance floor all night.
So far, none have worked out long-term (though you never know), but each was a legendary experience in its own right. There was dancing (I kill it on the dance floor, by the way), lots of confused looks from family & friends, some kissing, a bit of alcohol, and lots of fun.
For me, the best part of each experience was how little the final outcome mattered. I was always so worried about the end in my 20’s. Success was based on how I could compare the final product to the expectations set in my mind.
That’s one of the greatest regrets of my early post-undergrad years — I didn’t see the experience for what it was.
Because that’s the reality of so many of life’s greatest moments: they are beautiful in and of themselves. They don’t end with something we can compare to the lives of others. They don’t end in a white picket fence or the perfect job or the “one”.
They end in an awesome story.
The beauty of great stories is that it doesn’t matter where you are in life when you create them. Whether you’re all settled in with a family and a mortgage or more like me, still rambling around, you can create stories worth telling years down the road.
I think the key is a willingness to take risks and redefine success so that life’s best moments are just that — amazing stories in their own right.
