So, I'm turning thirty years old today. Later today- I think I still technically have a few hours left in my twenties. It's hard to believe, I know. I pretty much feel that I haven't changed a bit since my late teenage years. I'd like to believe that I would blend seamlessly back into the halls of my high school, and that no one would ever be the wiser. But, looking at my cousins in their late teens today, I know that can't possibly be true.
Can anyone else around my age relate to this? One of my co-workers and I are always joking that there seems to be a "missing decade". It seems like it was just Y2K {and if you don't know what that is, then you're probably too young to understand what I'm talking about!}. It took a looong time for people to go from writing "1999" to "2000" on the top of their checks. It was such a big change. It still feels like a car that's year 2000 or newer is still pretty new {to me, that is}.
But, the truth is, that car would be 15 years old today! There seems to be a whole chunk of time between the year 2000 and today that my mind tends to subconsciously forget. I mean, when did I go from discussing what dress to wear to prom with my girlfriends to discussing last year's property taxes with my parents?! Which means, my mind thinks that it's still the year 2005. Which means I am about to turn twenty. As cool as that sounds, I'm really glad that decade isn't missing, and here's a little list of reasons why.
8 Reasons I'm Glad I'm Thirty Today:
1. I don't wear tops that are constantly revealing my midriff, and I know how to properly use liquid eyeliner. I started off with the deepest one, right? But, it's true. I'm glad I'm thirty, because I am slightly more skilled at all things fashion and beauty than I was 10-15 years ago. It's literally hard for me to look at some pictures from back in the day.
2. I have seen the world. If it really was the year 2005, I would never have even left the four safe walls of my bedroom at my parent's house, forget about living abroad for 4 years! I would never have climbed through the night to see the sunrise at the top of a mountain. Or swam in a waterfall with elephants. Or wandered through the pavilions of the Taj Mahal. Or scuba dived {dove... dived??} with manta rays. In fact, I wouldn't have even known how to scuba dive at all. I could sit here and list off countless incredible things I've done this past decade, but when I say I have seen the world, I truly mean people. Different cultures. Different religions. Different ideas and ways of life. From California to Cambodia, and everywhere in between, I have met so many amazing people that have changed a part of me {for the better}. The world is a big place, and I've been blessed to get to know it.
3. I have the best friends I've ever had. I've heard people say this before, but it really is true - when it comes to friends, it really is all about quality over quantity. And the older you get, the more this becomes clear as day. It might sound sad, but I didn't have this 10-15 years ago. Girlfriends that text you randomly to let you know they are thinking of you and are thankful for you. Friends that feel more like family. Relationships that can transcend thousands of miles and years apart without being affected, that's true friendship.
4. I actually care about what I eat + drink. And more importantly, what that food does for my body. No more consuming an entire bag of Lays barbeque potato chips {NOT the baked kind, either} in one sitting or having one too many hurricanes at a party. I am not saying I never have sweets or a drink {moderation is key}, but I'm just more educated on the matter now, and I don't enjoy feeling like crap the next day because of something I decided to consume. My thirty-year-old self knows it's not worth it!
5. I know more things. Plain and simple - I'm wiser. I know that it is generally true that the older you get, the wiser you get, but it's one of the perks about being thirty, and I'm mentioning it! This kind of goes along with seeing the world, because a lot of the things I've learned have come not from books in school, but from experiences I've had and people I've met. I feel that the range of topics that I'm even somewhat knowledgeable on has really broadened over the past decade. What I like about this is that I can usually always find something in common with anyone I'm meeting for the first time. Last year, I was in Chicago for a work conference where I was meeting about forty new people during a cocktail hour the first night. There were so many interesting people there, from all over the world, and I literally could have talked to them all night. I wasn't shy, and I wasn't nervous to talk about myself or ask them questions - even people who were much higher up in the company than me. And I remember thinking just how different I was at that moment than the Cortnie that was in high school or even college. I guess knowledge really is power, and that's one of the best parts about being thirty right now!
6. I know who I am. This is more than I can say for twenty-year-old me. And that's not a bad thing, it's a normal thing. I'm sure there are some circumstances where this isn't true, but for the most part, I believe most teenagers and early twenty-something's have no clue who they truly are. And that's alright - your twenties are for figuring all that out. Your goals, your strengths and weaknesses, your views on faith, religion, politics and world events, your skills and passions, what you want out of life - these things all change as you change {at least they did for me}, and I love that by the time we are thirty, we have a lot of this figured out. There is a peace that comes with knowing ourselves.
7. I appreciate my parents a lot more. And our relationship is better today because of it. As you get older, you start to realize your parents are getting older, too. They will not be around forever, and you start to hate that you wasted so much of your teenage years and early twenties acting like they would be. Eventually, you start to think of them more as friends and real people {other than just your parents} than ever before. Take my Mom, for example. My sister and I knew we could get away with murder with her growing up. She was not a disciplinarian. And we teased her about this and that, like kids do. But, hearing about her now, as a manager, delegating tasks, hiring and firing, I step back and picture her through the eyes of others that she works with - people who don't know her as "Mom". And she completely impresses and surprises me and makes me want to know her more {and I'm not just saying that because I know she's reading this!}. Same with my Dad. He's a cool guy! I don't know if I would have uttered those words when I was a teenager, but he is! He's full of awesome hobbies and adventurous stories - not just from the recent years either - he's been on some crazy adventures long before I was even born. Yes, my parents aren't just my parents - they are actual people with stories of their own, just like Matt and I {profound, I know!}.
8. I'm ready + excited for the next phase of my life. I'm glad I'm thirty today, because it was one of my goals to wait until my thirties to settle down a little more and have kids. And I'm looking forward to that in my future. I love my life right now and where it's going. I'm not wishing to relive my teenage years or do anything over. I've done what I wanted to do in my teenage years and twenties, and I'm excited to move forward!
Thanks for reading + I hope I've inspired any of you who have just turned or are about to turn thirty as well! Happy weekend!
Can anyone else around my age relate to this? One of my co-workers and I are always joking that there seems to be a "missing decade". It seems like it was just Y2K {and if you don't know what that is, then you're probably too young to understand what I'm talking about!}. It took a looong time for people to go from writing "1999" to "2000" on the top of their checks. It was such a big change. It still feels like a car that's year 2000 or newer is still pretty new {to me, that is}.
But, the truth is, that car would be 15 years old today! There seems to be a whole chunk of time between the year 2000 and today that my mind tends to subconsciously forget. I mean, when did I go from discussing what dress to wear to prom with my girlfriends to discussing last year's property taxes with my parents?! Which means, my mind thinks that it's still the year 2005. Which means I am about to turn twenty. As cool as that sounds, I'm really glad that decade isn't missing, and here's a little list of reasons why.
8 Reasons I'm Glad I'm Thirty Today:
1. I don't wear tops that are constantly revealing my midriff, and I know how to properly use liquid eyeliner. I started off with the deepest one, right? But, it's true. I'm glad I'm thirty, because I am slightly more skilled at all things fashion and beauty than I was 10-15 years ago. It's literally hard for me to look at some pictures from back in the day.
2. I have seen the world. If it really was the year 2005, I would never have even left the four safe walls of my bedroom at my parent's house, forget about living abroad for 4 years! I would never have climbed through the night to see the sunrise at the top of a mountain. Or swam in a waterfall with elephants. Or wandered through the pavilions of the Taj Mahal. Or scuba dived {dove... dived??} with manta rays. In fact, I wouldn't have even known how to scuba dive at all. I could sit here and list off countless incredible things I've done this past decade, but when I say I have seen the world, I truly mean people. Different cultures. Different religions. Different ideas and ways of life. From California to Cambodia, and everywhere in between, I have met so many amazing people that have changed a part of me {for the better}. The world is a big place, and I've been blessed to get to know it.
3. I have the best friends I've ever had. I've heard people say this before, but it really is true - when it comes to friends, it really is all about quality over quantity. And the older you get, the more this becomes clear as day. It might sound sad, but I didn't have this 10-15 years ago. Girlfriends that text you randomly to let you know they are thinking of you and are thankful for you. Friends that feel more like family. Relationships that can transcend thousands of miles and years apart without being affected, that's true friendship.
4. I actually care about what I eat + drink. And more importantly, what that food does for my body. No more consuming an entire bag of Lays barbeque potato chips {NOT the baked kind, either} in one sitting or having one too many hurricanes at a party. I am not saying I never have sweets or a drink {moderation is key}, but I'm just more educated on the matter now, and I don't enjoy feeling like crap the next day because of something I decided to consume. My thirty-year-old self knows it's not worth it!
5. I know more things. Plain and simple - I'm wiser. I know that it is generally true that the older you get, the wiser you get, but it's one of the perks about being thirty, and I'm mentioning it! This kind of goes along with seeing the world, because a lot of the things I've learned have come not from books in school, but from experiences I've had and people I've met. I feel that the range of topics that I'm even somewhat knowledgeable on has really broadened over the past decade. What I like about this is that I can usually always find something in common with anyone I'm meeting for the first time. Last year, I was in Chicago for a work conference where I was meeting about forty new people during a cocktail hour the first night. There were so many interesting people there, from all over the world, and I literally could have talked to them all night. I wasn't shy, and I wasn't nervous to talk about myself or ask them questions - even people who were much higher up in the company than me. And I remember thinking just how different I was at that moment than the Cortnie that was in high school or even college. I guess knowledge really is power, and that's one of the best parts about being thirty right now!
6. I know who I am. This is more than I can say for twenty-year-old me. And that's not a bad thing, it's a normal thing. I'm sure there are some circumstances where this isn't true, but for the most part, I believe most teenagers and early twenty-something's have no clue who they truly are. And that's alright - your twenties are for figuring all that out. Your goals, your strengths and weaknesses, your views on faith, religion, politics and world events, your skills and passions, what you want out of life - these things all change as you change {at least they did for me}, and I love that by the time we are thirty, we have a lot of this figured out. There is a peace that comes with knowing ourselves.
7. I appreciate my parents a lot more. And our relationship is better today because of it. As you get older, you start to realize your parents are getting older, too. They will not be around forever, and you start to hate that you wasted so much of your teenage years and early twenties acting like they would be. Eventually, you start to think of them more as friends and real people {other than just your parents} than ever before. Take my Mom, for example. My sister and I knew we could get away with murder with her growing up. She was not a disciplinarian. And we teased her about this and that, like kids do. But, hearing about her now, as a manager, delegating tasks, hiring and firing, I step back and picture her through the eyes of others that she works with - people who don't know her as "Mom". And she completely impresses and surprises me and makes me want to know her more {and I'm not just saying that because I know she's reading this!}. Same with my Dad. He's a cool guy! I don't know if I would have uttered those words when I was a teenager, but he is! He's full of awesome hobbies and adventurous stories - not just from the recent years either - he's been on some crazy adventures long before I was even born. Yes, my parents aren't just my parents - they are actual people with stories of their own, just like Matt and I {profound, I know!}.
8. I'm ready + excited for the next phase of my life. I'm glad I'm thirty today, because it was one of my goals to wait until my thirties to settle down a little more and have kids. And I'm looking forward to that in my future. I love my life right now and where it's going. I'm not wishing to relive my teenage years or do anything over. I've done what I wanted to do in my teenage years and twenties, and I'm excited to move forward!
Thanks for reading + I hope I've inspired any of you who have just turned or are about to turn thirty as well! Happy weekend!
So beautiful and insightful Cortine! I can relate to much of what you shared, (although I wish I could say that was true about your 4 lucky years touring the world). Happy Birthday ~ wishing you all of the lords blessings today, and throughout the year!
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