30

I turned 30 this month — hooray! 🎉 In the lead up to my birthday, lots of people asked me how I felt about this milestone. Was I worried? Was I anxious? Honestly, I’ve felt none of these things. Here’s where I did land with it…

Your first decade of your life (0–10 years old) is spent with training wheels and guard rails. You’re not really going anywhere or doing anything, you’re simply being moved through life by a more responsible adult.

The second decade of your life (10–20 years old) is spent learning to ride independently, falling off, fucking up, but always in the comfort you’ll have someone to pick you up you when you do. It’s quasi-independence, with a set of capable hands waiting in the wings if you need a little help.

The third decade of your life (your 20s) is true independence. But this is the first time you get the opportunity to really go anywhere on your own steam. You’ll take wrong turns. You won’t really know where you are or, ultimately, who you are. It’s a time for getting lost and finding your way.

The fourth decade of your life (your 30s) is where you’ve largely found your way and found yourself. You might not be fully there. But you’re broadly aware of where the wrong turns will take you, and your careful and responsible enough not to fall off and break your arm in the process.

Knowing roughly where I’m going and being a competent enough passenger in life is what’s making me most excited for my 30s. I’ve never felt more grounded in my professional endeavours and in my personal life. And I’ve never felt more grateful for it all, either.

I don’t really have any resolutions for 2020 (or my 30th year), I just want to get better at everything that interests me.