Stepping into the third decade…

14 November 2021

I’ve been racking my brains all week for a non – cliched way of expressing what this birthday means to me. I went the entire range from “30 life lessons I’ve picked up over the years” to “What turning 30 feels like”…..I even closely considered simply writing about the 30 people I hold close. While each idea came with its own appeal, it also lacked lustre. It’s been my most lax year in terms of writing and so the pressure has been building up toward wanting to come back with a bang!

But my own insistence on sticking to word plays around the number 30 made me hit frequent dead ends. So I actually gave it a rest, followed by a thought. Why was this number so important? Did I feel anything different than what I felt a day earlier, when I was “only” 29?

While the answer was a resounding No, it also brought to mind how an entire decade had passed me by, yet the immense number of teachings it has left me with, on its way out. If I had to look back and remember myself at 20, I can see that younger thinner version of me quite easily in my mind’s eye. Yet, bits of her now seem a little unfamiliar. I realise that this last decade pushed me toward many wonderful opportunities and introduced me to such a variety of people, that I changed.

Simply put, I grew. Physically, mentally, emotionally.

And so while I stand at the cusp and wave goodbye to my twenties, I would like to take a moment and say Thank you for everything they taught me…

• Holding on to the past can bring a smile and a tear. Look back occasionally but don’t stay there!
• Heartbreaks happen. Life moves on.
• It is okay to let go. You will always find people who care for you.
• People are going to disappoint you from time to time. It’s absolutely natural.
• Not everyone is going to like you.
• People are going to leave. Even die. Cherish the moments while you have them in your life.
• You grow, you change. So do the people around you. Let them.
• Dreams are better than reality. But every so often, reality ain’t so bad either!
• Learning never stops. You just need to be willing.
• Mistakes happen. Own them.
• Passion can also pay.
• You can actually love your work.
• It is lonely at the top. That shouldn’t dissuade you from scaling new heights!
• Bosses don’t always have to be mean. You can love working for them.
• It is easier to conduct interviews than face them.
• Learning to say No is a much – required life skill.
• You can learn to cook, and yet never really enjoy the process.
• Families are something you are born into, but you can also create your own.
• A space of your own that you can call home will always bring you joy.
• You are going to keep growing older. Whether you like it or not.

While uttering ‘thirty’ is currently accompanied with a sigh, I am equally eager to see what this new decade will bring to me. I steel myself for the various ‘grown – up’ instances I am going to have to deal with, but I also open my heart a little more to the new experiences that will come my way. For if the twenties taught me so much, won’t the thirties only make me better?

Here’s to turning a year wiser, with my oldest and closest having my back…while I jump into this decade with my eyes wide open!