On Turning 30

On Turning 30 | Wading in Big Shoes
I’m 30.

Is this real life?

Last Tuesday, I woke up early and checked my phone to see what time it was. Yup, I’d officially completed three decades of living. I rolled back over onto my pillow and did a quick mental scan.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

Actually, I felt like me. I still liked glitter, and hadn’t suddenly acquired a taste for Meet the Press. For a minute, I started to wonder if maybe my parents and the people at the hospital and Social Security Administration had gotten my birthdate wrong all those years. Pretty unlikely, though, since I remembered a lot of stuff that had happened since at least the early nineties. If I hadn’t yet made it to 30, I was pretty darn close.

So . . . what now?

30.3
I’d like to tell you that age is just a number, and all that nice, feel-good stuff people always say to make you feel better. It’s true—age is just a number. But that number is also an indicator of how far we’ve advanced in life. Not by achievement or level of success, mind you. It’s just a little jolt of electricity that tells you, “Hey, girl—life is happening. Right. Now.”

The truth is, I’m not really any different than I was a week ago at 29. Now, though, I realize that I’ve kind of been a “real” grown-up for a while (I’ve had gray hair since my teens and perfected the “get off my lawn” mentality a loooong time ago). In all seriousness, though . . . 30 is such a strange place to see myself, since the same girl who watched The Little Mermaid and listened to *NSYNC on repeat is still here. Okay, maybe I’ve moved on to La La Land and Taylor Swift, but the overall idea is pretty much the same.

Thirty should not come with a stigma. If anything, we should celebrate each year we’re blessed with. Whether that’s 30 years, 50 years, or 100 years, why aren’t we looking at each milestone as a gift? I could wish to be a kid my whole life, but then I’d never have anything to look forward to.

So far, I’m taking this new decade one reality check at a time. Sometimes, I remember where I am and feel humbled by the reality that time is fleeting. Sometimes, I’m nostalgic for a number that will never come back. But most of the time, I don’t really think about it at all and I just go on living.

I hope you fall in love with where you’re at today.

xoxo,

  -The girl who celebrated her 30th birthday at The Most Magical Place On Earth
On Turning 30 | Wading in Big Shoes
Top and bottom photos by Walt Disney World Photopass Photographers. Middle photo by me.

Hi! I'm Jennifer.

Southwest Virginia born and raised, I moved over 500 miles to Southeast Michigan with my husband in 2011. Since then, I’ve been recording my adventures here, bringing you stories as I explore the “mitten state,” the midwest, and beyond.

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