Some of you may be aware that last September I turned thirty. "So what?", you may ask. "Big deal". Well, that's what I thought until it happened. It's just a number and it shouldn't affect me really. But it did. So I decided to deal with it by turning it into a positive thing, i.e. create a piece about it. Here's what I'm asking of you, dear friends, family and colleagues:
Have you recently turned thirty? What difference did it make in how you see yourself or how you see the world around you? What did you expect before turning thirty and to what extend were your expectations met? How much do you think conventional ideas about youth and age have affected you in relation to being thirty?
Is thirty a distant memory? How do you remember behaving when you first passed the threshold of thirty? What advice would you give me or anyone else turning thirty? Does being older really make you wiser? If yes, how?
Are you so young that thirty seems ages away? Have you set yourself goals to achieve by the time you turn thirty? What are they? What's your understanding of age? How do you view people who are thirty and over?
Same deal as always, you can post anonymously if you want. Stories and anecdotes are especially welcome, as are thoughts, ideas and all sorts of philosophical ramblings.
xxx
Despina
7 comments:
30 scares me, i still have a few years before i hit that big mile stone but i'd rather not think about it.
I'm a list maker, i make lots of lists, i try and do something new every year.
Mainly because when i was 20 i met a 30yo stoner who had no idea what he had done with his life, it terrified me! I knew then to take life by the horns, do something new all the time, try and be the best person you can be. I want to hit 30 proud of the last 10 years, not unsure.
Hope that helps and gets the ball rolling!
I think 20 was more of a milestone, a couple of months before I suddenly realised I didn't have much longer to act like an irresponsible teenager!
30 was less so as I was away from all my friends, so 29 somehow became 30... At any rate, 30s seem(ed) to be the decade for just getting stuff done, and I guess being in your 30s gives more validity to what you do. Not to mention more scope for being ageist (ahem).
That's not much help, so here's an anecdote about 30s and biological clocks:
When my brother was planning to get married a few years ago, his fiancée was a few years older than him, early 30s probably. My grandfather always had a very crude sense of humour; he decided that he was going to get them a large box of condoms as a wedding present. My mother told him, "Dad, she's in her 30s, her biological clock is ticking!"
His response: "Okay then, I'll put holes in all of them."
ha ha that was pretty funny. "this is 30? how did i get here?" LOL
i always thought it was good to have had a lot of fun before whatever imaginary milestone so that you don't get there regretting not having done anything. sure, try to be the best person you can be, but also, IMO, it would suck to have regrets and miss out on stuff that you can only do when you're 20, 30 or whatever.
no midlife crises over here! :D
I do find myself surprised now and then when I remember I'm thirty. I'm often mistaken for younger, which is nice, although not entirely helper as a teacher, where longetivity carries a level of status.
Overall though it's not a big deal. I don't think an age should define you. It's handy for advertisers to have a way to pigeon-hole us, but for most people it's a negative - a cut-off point used to make ourselves feel like failures if we haven't done X, Y and Z. But we're not - life's much more rich and diverse than that.
30 - got pregnant before i turned 31! realised i only had 10 good years to reproduce. as a young woman i couldn't see the difference between men and women. but men can imagine they're yoofs with time on their hands in no rush to have babies till they're about 73. women gotta make choices.
anyway, it was the best move ever. love ma bubs, wanna be a kept woman who can just stay at home and have more. well, not stay at home, take em out and do fun stuff. so my next career move is to win the lottery or marry david tennant. this from a leftie feminist! anyway, must dash, time is ticking on and i heard david tennant is engaged so i need to plot to split them up... or start buying lottery tickets
Hi Despina,
I'm trying to get in touch with a friend of mine who performed in your piece "How far are you willing to go?"
I used to work with Meaghan years ago here in Calgary, Canada. If you know of any way to contact her, would you please let me know?
Thanks!
Warren Beddow
wbeddow@hotmail.com
Hi Warren, I've passed on your message.
Despina
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