I’m 31 today. I started this tradition of putting out a blog post on my birthday every year, not to announce that it’s my birthday, but because I will romanticize everything that it’s possible to romanticize, and I think there is a poetry in getting older.

Pretty much everything they said about turning 30 was true. Your 20’s are (so much fun), but you’re kind of flailing. Not in an out of control way, but like one of those helicopter things that fall off trees, or the plastic bag in the wind in American Beauty. You’re peaceful, and you might have an end destination in mind, but you’re at the mercy of the wind in the interim.

They said that once you turn 30, things start to feel more sure. You’ll feel more grounded and less “flaily.” Your plastic bag now has some things in it. The handles of the bag still blow in the wind, but for the most part, the bag is firmly on the ground. And it’s true, when you’re 29, you don’t see how there can be this shift just because you have to check the 30-35 box instead of the 24-29 box. But there is.

And you want to grab all the 24-29 year olds and shake them and tell them to just relax. “You’re beautiful.” “You don’t need all that makeup.” “You look great in those jeans.” “You’ll find another job…and another man.” But the truth is, they have to earn it. The only way the shift is going to happen when you turn 30 is if you squirm through your 20’s.

All that being said, don’t think for a second I’m not still squirming. There are just different reasons to squirm now. I’ll keep you updated over the course of the next decade how they turn out.

A look back at the last year:

It’s been a good year. It’s fun to be even more excited about the next one.

Past Birthday Posts:
29 Things I’ve Learned in 29 Years
Thirty