I am about 24 hours away from leaving my 20s behind me, and going forward into my 30s. I will officially turn 30 tomorrow evening at 10:35pm. I guess most people get freaked out by turning 30, but I am for the most part okay with it. The one thing that is in the back of my mind is what 30 always meant growing up.
When I was younger, 30 seemed to be a thousand years away. Hell, when I was 17, 25 seemed light years away. Then when I finally reached the ripe old age of 25, 30 started taking on a new meaning. It was the end of the age of finding out what kind of person I would become, and start being that person. Your 20s are a time of growth and discovery. You experience so many new things in your 20s, and those experiences shape the person you are going to be for the rest of your life. Taking quick stock, here are some of the things I experienced in my 20s that have made me the man I am today.
I started an alternate life in a new town by working 30 miles away from home for the first time.
I learned the importance of personal and professional loyalty, and how the two don’t mix sometimes.
I bought my first car.
I moved out on my own for the first time, ironically, into my old childhood home.
I quit a very good job because my girlfriend got fired from the same company. A stupid move I will never repeat again. This also started my policy of not getting involved with anyone who works for the same company as me.
I learned the hard way that there is no such thing as a sure thing. I learned this by asking the girl I had been dating for 7 years to marry me, and being told “no”.
I had my heart broken quite a few times. The worst being by the girl I was with for 7 years. Getting cheated on sucks.
Lived by myself for the first time, and started a new job at the same time. This experience went hand in hand for me to start my “new life”. I was always somewhat of a loner, but this experience really taught me to rely on myself.
Going against years of past actions and habits, I had my first alcoholic drink. My life would never be the same again.
Realized a dream with my man JP. We started our own webcomic, i/o Comics.
After being alone for a year, I decided to start dating. I chased the same girl for a year and finally gave up.
Sick of being alone, I decided to finally start dating online. After one failed service, I choose match.com. After a few days, I meet this girl from New Jersey named Jess.
Things get serious with Jess, and I end up splitting my life four ways – work, home, Kutztown University, and New Jersey.
Jess cons me into buying our first cat, Lola. I end up falling in love more than I ever thought I could with an animal.
Jess graduates from college and moves in.
We have our first, of what was to be many, litters of kittens.
Seven months after Jess moves in, I ask her to marry me. Thankfully, she says “yes”. I think if she had said “no” it was off to the monastery for me.
I lose 2 grandparents in four years.
After over a year of planning, Jess and I finally get married.
Jess and I buy a dog, Loki.
Jess and I spend a week in England. We are saving pennies to go back.
We start talking about starting a family.
Jess and I start working on our new house.
As you can see, I ran the gamut in the past 10 years. I think the thing I regret the most was that I realized at 24, that I was the same person I was when I was 17. To me, that was a waste of years. But, I like to think I made up for that in the past 6 years.
The past 30 years will be celebrated with my close circle of family and friends this weekend with some nice meat over an open flame and alcohol. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate it.
