I just turned 38 on Sunday, so I’m officially in my LATE 30s and can no longer claim to be in my MID 30s. I feel like I’m taken more seriously in my occupation (accounting) than I was in my 20s. It feels shitty to be 20-something at a job and be thought of as inexperienced and a “kid”.
I took turning 30 much better than I’m going to take turning 40. Men can turn 40 and be distinguished, but a woman turning 40 had better break out the embroidered sweatshirts and holiday sweater vests (kidding).
I’ll cling to my Chuck Taylors until I’m 60ish! I need something to feel young, dang it!
Back in July, I separated from my wife and turned 30.
It was freaking awesome.
Now, I didn’t get much of a 20’s. No kids, but I was a long-term caregiver for somebody who’s seriously mentally ill and kinda poisonous.
So I got responsibile and took care of a lot of the hard work and growing up thing waaay earlier than I should have.
Now I have a job I like, a decent income, and what I figure is a full year (or two) to act like an idiot before I settle back down again. Except now, when I act like an idiot, I know where the lines are between idiocy, utter jackassery, and illegality.
Turning 30 was hard for me. I remember going into work and my co-worker handed me balloons and called me an “old woman” now… I went into another cube and cried. Though it wasn’t just that I was “turning 30”… I had just got divorced. No house. No Kids. Nada… and I felt like “What the hell do I have to show for my life…”
I let myself be upset with it for a couple hours and the made myself move on. It was hard for me. I went through alot in the last year… but since then… I took a year off from dating and learned so much about myself. I’m a stronger person because of it and even better, now that I am 30, people take the changes I made seriously.
I’m 30 now, actually almost 31 now, and they didn’t take it as “BrknButterfly is going through yet another 'stage”…
I dunno why, but it seems like as soon as you get out of your 20s people take you more seriously when you talk about wanting to make chances for yourself. More supportive. Treat you more of an adult. Or that is what I found anyways.
It’s not that bad. I actually feel more confident in myself now then I ever have before.
My teens were a blurry nightmare. The two best things that happened in my teens were surviving high school and losing my virginity before I was 20.
My early 20’s were more or less like my teens. They were either really exciting or boring as all hell, but I looked better than I did in my teens, and the sex wasn’t bad at all.
My mid to late 20’s were better. I joined the army, found my direction, and got married.
But the awesome moments of life didn’t really start happening until my 30’s. I sort of . . . grew into myself . . . somewhere there, and I found my self-confidence and my refusal to be pushed around by anyone anymore. I learned what I was good at and what to leave alone, and my wife and I have really bonded together as a unit. I really can’t tell where I end and she begins anymore. Together we make an excellent person.
I’m in my late 30’s now, and life has never been this good. It’s not perfect mind you. My job’s would resemble a trainwreck, if runaway trains moved at about 2 m.p.h. and bored people to death instead of crushing them, and I have all sorts of personality conflicts at work, mainly because of my newfound refusal to be pushed around. Also, I’ve managed gain allll the weight back which I’d lost in high school.
Meh, it’s always going to be something, though. My best memories are almost all concentrated in my 30’s. The fact is that in your 30’s, you’ll most likely have quite a few more options in life than you had in your 20’s, and a whole shitload more than you had in your teens.
People in their 30’s are old enough to have picked up a bit of wisdom and young enough to cut loose without looking like total idiots. I actually envy you, kid. As I said, my 30’s are almost over.
Now, I’m only 32 so I guess things could still turn south, but this has definitely been the best decade so far. It’s not anything concrete, it’s something within myself that’s changed. I’ve kind of learned to accept myself and love myself for who I am a bit more. I’ve learned some things about myself and about life, and I’ve learned to let go of what’s not so important.
I think some of it is realizing once and for all that I’m not going to move to Hollywood and become a famous director, or write The Great American Novel, or sail around the world in a luxury yacht owned by a European prince, or party with the rich and famous. I’ve given up those dreams, and while in my teens and twenties that would have depressed me, now I realize that I don’t really want those things. (Okay, maybe the novel, but not the rest.) And when you give up on unrealistic daydreams, it frees you to appreciate what you already have, and what makes you truly happy.
I was so much more comfortable with myself than I’d been through my 20’s. Stuff that stressed me no end in my 20’s just didn’t bother me as much. I became much more my own person.
Physically, the warranty didn’t expire till I hit 40! I was still young and strong enough through my 30’s to stay up late (when I wanted to, which wasn’t as often as in my 20’s) and still get up feeling fresh the next morning. I didn’t get sick or hurt much, and I could stay in shape pretty easily. I suppose I may not have had the hot body I did at 21, but I was much better at finding my own flattering style and I didn’t care as much anyway.
30 is fun. You’re no longer a clueless kid, but you’re not an old fart either!
Hey, I’ve been 30 for the last 10 years, 6 months and change. So far it ain’t killed me.
My little brother has been 30 for exactly 2 years today. According to his response to my congratulatory message, he’s still alive and in general good health.
It’s not about your age. Do your best to be living the life you want, no matter how old you are.
Turning 30 didn’t bother me, but my early 30s kind of sucked, because I was unhappy in my relationship. I ended that relationship when I was 35, and after a rough year, it’s been smooth sailing since. I’ll be 38 in February, and I can honestly say this has been one of the best years of my life. I’ve never been happier, more confident, or more sure that I *deserve *to feel this good, because I came by it honestly, through the hard work of figuring out what was making me unhappy, and fixing it.
When you get older, if you’re smart, you let go of the idea that there’s some perfect life out there that you’re missing, and you just start making the most of the one you’ve got.
And while I’m here, never forget that lines on your face don’t diminish your beauty. Panic in your eyes *about *the lines on your face does.
33 y/o here. I think it depends mostly on your circle of friends and relationship status. For me, I’ve gotten to a point where ALL my friends are married, and many are starting to have kids. As a single guy it sucks because none of them want to hang out and they definitely don’t have any single friends to introduce me to. I’d recommend some hobbies that will keep you mingling with other people in your age group. I’ve enjoyed pool leagues and poker leagues at bars to stay social.
I had just bought my first house the year I hit 30 so I didn’t have time to think about leaving my 20’s specifically. On the upside, by not having kids or a girlfriend, and by staying at the same job since college, I now have more money than I know what to do with.
I used to get a kick of people in creative writing classes – all in their 20s – who wrote long anguished stories about characters turning 30. I was about 35 at the time.
On my 30th birthday, I had had my first short story published and I was about to get married. I was perfectly happy, and things continued just fine after that.
The 30’s was my favorite decade, and I’m currently in my *[counts on fingers…] *fourth one.
Seriously, it all came together in my 30’s. Got married, bought a house, had a kid, had another kid, bought another house. Salaries improved, relationships gelled, I became more comfortable with myself as a person and happier with life in general. Crows feet? Receding hairline? Sagging boobies? Screw it. Life builds character.