I've never been someone who has put very much thought into aging. I've never seen it as something to get too worked up about. It's going to happen, it happens to everyone and there's no sense in worrying about it. And there's nothing that says I have to act differently as I age. I'm required to grow old but I'm certainly not required to grow up.
Last year I turned thirty. It wasn't a big deal. Went out with friends, had a nice dinner, etc. But it wasn't any more momentous than any other birthday. I turn thirty-one in a couple of weeks and I have to admit, it's weirding me out a little bit. Not that the specific age signifies anything important. But I have now reached the point where I am in my thirties (cue the dramatic squirrel music).
I know it seems silly, but it sounds different to me. In my thirties just sounds...I don't know, older. Like I should have a house, wife, 2.5 kids and a family dog (although as a Mormon, in my thirties probably means I should have 5-7 kids by now).
It seems like some people have this specific plan laid out for how their entire lives are going to go. You know, certain milestones have to occur by a certain age. Marriage, first kid, tenth kid, etc. I'm sorry but those people are WEIRD. I've never had anything more than the vaguest of guesses as to how my life was going to go. And it's a good thing because even those vague guesses have been completely off.
So as I head into my thirties, if I have any preconceived notions as to how they're going to go, I suppose I should just trash them because they'll probably be just as unpredictable as my twenties. And that's fine. That's what makes the whole thing interesting, you know?
I know this guy whose life has pretty much followed the exact Mormon life blueprint. Married with two kids, all before age 25. And sometimes I wonder if he had the opportunity to go back, would he do it the same way? Not that he's extremely unhappy or anything. I have no doubt that he loves his wife and kids. But I just get the impression from him that sometimes he looks around at his life and says, "How the hell did this happen?"
I guess the point is that it's a good thing I never paid any attention to following the blueprint. Because even though my life may not be where I imagined it would, its probably right where it needs to be.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I'm always asking myself the "how the hell did this happen?" question, but that doesn't devalue what happened.
By the way, I'm in my "mid to late" thirties, so I hate you.
Hehe. As I was writing this up, I thought about saying something about how people in their forties or fifties probably hate hearing younger people talk about aging. But I don't think there's anyone in those age groups reading this.
Post a Comment