Thankful for 30

A little over a month ago I turned, hold your breath, 30. The funny thing is that several of my friends have asked how I'm doing with it like it's some terrible medical diagnosis. It's not and I'm good but I am officially old. Not because I'm 30...30's not old...heck, 40's not even old in my book. No, I'm old because I've always been old. 

When I was a child, I preferred to eat and talk with adults rather than other children. When I was a teenager, I was lost. I didn't understand teens around me...the things they obsessed over and did for fun. Don't get me wrong, I was a stupid teen like most others and did (and wore) ridiculous things to fit in sometimes but I didn't actually want to. Then, in college, I never really got into the party, club-hopping, dating-around scene (apart from about six months after I turned 21 which was more than long enough for me to realize it wasn't my thing).

My 20's often felt like they were filled with "supposed to's"...like I was supposed to want a career and a higher college degree because I'm a "modern woman" and getting married at 22 was not what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to want to "have a life" before I had children of my own. I still remember telling one of my brother's that I was pregnant with my son (just before I turned 25) and his 30-year old response was "WHY?!" Granted, he grew up in California and I grew up in the mid-west so there are some socio-geographic influences. But, I always felt like I was supposed to act young because I was young. 

Turning 30 has come with a new found sense of freedom. I'm not old and I still have an active lifestyle but I don't have to act young. I can prefer to stay home and drink wine while playing a board game with my family. I can take a ceramics or a painting class with women twice my age and have a great time-not going to lie, some of those old birds are a little naughty!

I still want to look and feel 20-pretty sure that's one wish that won't change for a while, but I'm so glad I'm 30 now.

PS>Sorry if it's TMI but I went to the Dr yesterday and I have shingles. I guess there is a downside to getting older.