This past Saturday, I turned 30 years old. I left the decade of my twenties and am headed into a whole new chapter of age and living. My twenties felt like a time of discovery, change, and starting new things, while my thirties feel like a time to savor, find joy, and deepen. I had the typical trepidations about turning 30 and feeling "older," but in the grand scheme of things, I know I am still young and there is so much left out there for me to grab on to.
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Because I was born in 1990, the decades of my life conveniently line up with the decades as they move along. In a recent post about reflecting on the 2010's, I feel like I talked a bit about the different things I got to experience in my twenties that shaped who I am now as a 30-year-old. But I am thankful for all of the things I got to experience in my twenties and how much I have grown in only ten years.
Ten years have passed and so much has happened! I graduated college, got my first apartment, got my first "real" job (and then a few more, holy moly), I got engaged, married, bought a house, traveled, got pregnant, had a baby, and started this blog and my photography business! Sprinkled through all of those bigger events were other things along the way that have also shaped and molded the past decade to have a few challenges, but also so many beautiful memories.
My twenties were a time of truly finding myself and who I wanted to be. Career-wise, I felt like I was floundering until I left the corporate world and started blogging, doing photography, and teaching yoga as my work. Don't get me wrong, my side hustles are not easy, but they bring me personally so much more joy than sitting in an office and feeling like I had no direction.
In my thirties, I am hoping to continue blogging and writing about things that bring me (and hopefully some of you!) joy and happiness. My thirties also have a lot less potential unknowns that I can see. This decade I won't be graduating from college and dealing with all of the things that come with being thrust out into the workforce, figuring out what you want from life and who you want to spend it with.
The things I do see in this decade are having at least one more baby, moving into another house that has more than two bedrooms, and probably getting a minivan. But beyond that, I am not sure what else is in store! My life is much more settled in my thirties than in my twenties and I am so glad for it.
My twenties felt like waves on a beach, just constantly crashing or lapping at the shore and changing the landscape over time. My thirties feel like they will be more like a quiet pond where the water is calmly rippling and slowly adjusting the landscape, but not much. I have a solid feeling of who I am and what I want now that I have been a full fledged "adult" for a while now.
I look forward to the fact that there is a trajectory my life is roughly following as I continue my journey through motherhood and start to live my life based on the timelines of my children. I am excited for all of the new experiences that will come with having school aged kids, but am also savoring my single child who is not in school days as well. All in all, these days are short and sweet, so I am making sure I soak up this goodness while I can!
Was I nervous before about turning 30? Yes. But do I feel like this next decade has a lot of potential and exciting things ahead? You betcha!! There have been a few things that have really helped me enter this period of my life with excitement that I recommend if you are in your late twenties and want to "prepare" in a way!
My Pre-30 Recommendations List:
1. When Less Becomes More by Emily Ley: This book has been incredible for trimming out the things that are not important to me. Coming into my thirties, I don't want to surround myself with things that are not bringing me joy or something positive. If my jeans don't fit, see ya later!! They are getting sent to ThredUp. If I am friends with someone on Facebook who I haven't talked to in years and probably will never talk to in person again, they are probably already unfriended. There is too little time in life to be spent on things that truly don't matter to me.
2. A Physical Planner: I know we live in a digital age and that maybe I am now a dinosaur, but I cannot live without a physical planner. For me, using my phone for scheduling is not the way to go. I forget to update it, I feel like I can't see what I am doing as well, and my phone screen is not enough space to see what it going on. The planner I use currently is this floral planner by Ban.do and they have 17 month planners, which I am here for. When I am scheduling anything, I refer to my planner and it keeps me feeling super organized!
3. ThredUp: Back to my first point, I have been obsessed with ThredUp lately. I thoroughly enjoy going through my closet and sending a big polka dot bag in the mail to ThredUp full of clothes that no longer spark joy for me. And when I order great clothes for much less than they would normally be, I request another clean out kit be sent to me so that I can send them more stuff. I have gotten rid of at least 7 boxes/bags of clothes, shoes, and bags by sending them to ThredUp, then use the credits to get gently used clothing from name brands that I love such as Lou & Grey, Madewell, and Athleta. Buying clothes from ThredUp also makes me feel better about buying used clothing to help the environment and reducing my carbon footprint.
4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up & Spark Joy by Marie Kondo: I know, I know, I am constantly talking about these books, but they truly have changed my life!! By tidying my home, I feel like my life has been streamlined so that I can actually enjoy it more. By entering my thirties with more tidiness in my home, it takes me so much less time to clean up and re-tidy if things get a little messy. I feel more put together and it has created a more calm environment in my home. If you want to feel like a put-together adult, read these books and put into practice what Marie Kondo is preaching because she is a gosh-darn genius!
5. Fresh Flowers: This may seem silly, but I have found a deeper appreciation for fresh flowers lately. When I have guests over, I like to liven up my home with a vase of fresh flowers. They don't have to cost much, but they automatically brighten up a room. I had two friends come over for a sleepover a few weeks ago and I because it was right before Valentine's Day, I bought pink rosettes. I felt like it dressed up my dining room table in such a sweet way and they brought me joy as I put out appetizers before dinner. Even if you are having a dull day, just pick up a little bouquet of flowers for under $5, (especially at Trader Joe's!) and bring some pep to your day!
Three days into being 30, and honestly, it is pretty nice. Why was I so nervous, honestly? I can't change time and become younger, so why not embrace this time and no longer being in my twenties! I know there are exciting things ahead, and I can't wait to see what is in store for this chapter!
Did you turn a special "milestone" age recently? Have a milestone birthday coming up? What has been the best milestone birthday you have had so far? Comment below!
xoxo,
TBS