Turning 30 — The First Dance With Life

“Wow! You’re, like, turning 30 next year, Sarah. How do you feel about that?” the 25-year-old me asked a colleague that I barely spoke to.

Fast-forward to a few years — She is one of my closest friends, one that I count as a part of my ‘inner circle’. And I am turning 30.

“How do you feel about it now?”, she asked me today. Her lips twisted around the number “30,” mocking me, like I once did to her.

But here’s the truth — I can’t wait to turn 30. I have zero fears, issues or qualms about entering this fierce new decade. And why should I? Why should anyone?

After all, the thirties are the fresh and fabulous decade in which women truly come into their glorious own. I’ve always envisioned a 30-something woman as an unstoppable force of nature blooming in her prime.

Here’s why, you too, should look forward to turning 30!

1. You will get laugh lines on your face. But it only means that you laugh a lot — which is the sign of a great life.
2. You go to bed when you are tired — A privilege enjoyed by the very few who have the will to turn down the invitation to yet-another night of bar crawl.
3. You become resilient. You have been through some sh*t and you have come out on the other side. You know how to handle all kinds of gnarly situations and you make the best of them all.
4. You remember to tell people that you love them. You know the importance of telling people how you feel about them while you still can. You start giving more hugs.
5. You have a close knit circle of amazing friends. They are the real deal.
6. You don’t care about being cool anymore and therefore you become the coolest you have ever been in your life.
7. You don’t compromise your values. You fight for what is important to you. You let people know when they hurt you. You apologize when you hurt others.
8. You stop taking selfies and start taking the pictures of the sunsets instead. You appreciate the beauty in your surroundings.
9. You accept compliments without countering them with self-deprecating comments.
10. You realize, that most of the time, you have more choices than you think you do. You stop wasting your time being a victim of the circumstances that you have and find the strength and the power to change them.