Wednesday, August 10, 2005

My next thirty years, Part I

I decided quite a few years ago that I was ready to embrace my thirties. In two days, I will have exactly two months to start preparing for that embrace. I guess this is a time in life that is so different and unique for every woman out there, but at the same time...so alike. Will my thirtieth come and go with a sigh of relief, or will I hear forty pounding on the back door the next day?

I've never felt much concern about getting older (all the thirty-somethings are hiding their laughter), but the other day I turned to my 27-year-old husband and said, "Case...I'm going to be thirty!!" with just a hint of anxiety in my voice. His response? Laughter, which is pretty much what my response would have been if I had more than two years to go. I've never enjoyed seeing women fret over leaving their twenties, and maybe that is why I have made an effort to lean into the next decade. After all, if I stay where I am, what new memories can I make?

For me, turning 30 holds the promise and hope of starting a family (laugh if you will, but I have a countdown clock on my computer desktop for such an event). Entering my thirties means having the chance to fall more in love with the man I married, and falling more in love with and growing closer to God. This is not to say that I am going to run skipping through fields of flowers on the morning of my birthday, but neither will I cower in the corner. To me, turning 30 means more wisdom, more confidence, and by all means...more choc0late!

6 comments:

Sally-Anne said...

An excellent and admirable outlook, Tracey. This 27-year-old is ALREADY more nervous about 30 than you are, BUT, I am pretty sure it's because there are things I'd like to be/do by the time I'm 30ish that I'm nowhere near, and you've already accomplished those things. If I were in your position, I'd be all over 30!

tracey said...

I totally understand, Sally-Anne. Hey -- I noticed you created an account. Does this mean you might be blogging soon? C'mon, c'mon!!

Sarah said...

I think you're going to be a cool, hip 30-yr old. :) A counselor told me once that around the 30 mark is when you really become an adult and are who you are going to be for the rest of your life!

Ruth said...

Take it from this old lady Tttttracy... Thirty is actually a lot of fun... I still look at my age and think... well.. "OH MY GOODNESSS.. I NOT 22 ANYMORE!" when did that happen????" ...
Actually.. for me.. old lady that I am.. I am getting ever closer to the big 40... I have a plan though.. I will be in better shape, physically and mentally when I am 40 than when I was 20.. I plan to do something BIG during that year.. (preferably the month of my birthday) .. like run a marathon, hike down and back out of the grandcanyon, a few sprint triathalons... who knows.. all I know is it will be painful.. and it will be a miracle if I finish:)
Look forward to being thirty.. .. oh by the way.. someone told me.. thanks to oprah and others.. 40 is now the new 30... so you are really only turning 20! :)

tracey said...

Thanks Sarah! Although...if who I am right now (or in two months, rather) is who I'll be for the rest of my life...that is a little scary. God and I have too much work to do! =)

Ruthie, thanks for the advice. You are probably in much better shape than I am! So Oprah says I'm only going to be 20? Awesome! Although, I think I'll make better decisions in my new 'twenties' than the old.

Sally-Anne said...

I did sign up for an account with the idea of perhaps starting to blog. Trust me, if I do, you'll be one of the first to know! :)

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