My 30s are swiftly gathering dust behind me. I have 2 years, 4 months, and 13 days left before crossing over to the land of bad eyesight, hair dye, and crow's feet. What did I learn (am still learning) in this decade? Well let's talk about it.
Warning: there are a lot of ALL CAPS in the following sentences. I can't help it. I have very strong feelings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The gray hair creeps in when you aren't looking. Now, I lasted longer than any of my friends and I GIVE THANKS for that, but at least once a week I have to do a detailed hair comb equal to the one you do when you're searching for lice, and I CANNOT FORGET to check for the super ambitious, super long, super sneaky gray eyebrow hair (YES. you read that right. EYEBROW HAIR) that appears within one hour's time. Seriously. One morning, I was examining my eyebrows while I brushed my teeth, and an hour later I thought there was a loose hair trying to get in my eye. NOPE. That little rascal had popped out and was over an inch long. I am not exaggerating. Truly. I'm not. How does that even happen?! And I used to give Jason a hard time about his wild and unruly old-man eyebrows.
2. Teenagers are fun. And exhausting. And dramatic. And mouthy. And super helpful. I can just leave the house when I want. It's MIND BLOWING. I can just run errands and not bother packing everyone up in the car, double checking to make sure all have shoes, semi-brushed hair, pants, etc... I mean, what a life. I am so spoiled.
3. Working away from home is for the birds Well, in one way. In another way, it brings a few moments of peace and quiet into my day three times a week., and I can deal with that.
4. That whole "through sickness and through health" phrase really starts to play a role. Jason's Lyme disease has really been a booger these past couple of years. And there isn't a guarantee it will get much better. Definitely has a good chance of getting worse.
5. New levels of stress are introduced. See #4
6. Facial skin doesn't stay tight. Young girls, do yourself a favor and start those skin firming rituals now. You'll be glad you did. I don't have any wrinkles...yet... but the ol' facial skin is just saggy. When I put on eyeshadow, my eyelid slides from side to side. It's GROSS.
7. Prayer is vital and life is way harder than you expected. By this age, divorce, cancer or other sicknesses, loss of children, unexpected loss of spouses, etc...have crept in to your life or the lives of your friends and family. Sometimes, oftentimes, prayer is the one thing that keeps you going. The one thing you can offer when your own life is having major trials. Learn to pray. Cling to God. Come BOLDLY before the throne, praising Him for your blessings and telling Him your needs.
8. Find your clan. Now for some, that may just be one person, but for me, I need the support and friendship of many. Surprisingly, this one kind of merges with #2. A lot of my very close friends are the mothers of my children's best friends. Embrace the new friendships that emerge through adulthood. They can be the best ones yet.
9. Get yourself a pedicure every now and then. The world will thank you. Also, shaving your legs everyday is overrated. Every other day will certainly suffice.
10. Don't tan. DON'T.
11. Your wedding is SO not as big of a "thing" as you think it is. Your marriage is a big deal, the wedding is not. Save your energy and finances for something that plays a larger role in your life. I promise you won't regret it. Also, stay out of debt.
And that's all I have for now. I actually had some great thoughts on Wednesday that I wanted to share but I didn't write them down and now they are lost forever.
Unless I think of them again.
Warning: there are a lot of ALL CAPS in the following sentences. I can't help it. I have very strong feelings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The gray hair creeps in when you aren't looking. Now, I lasted longer than any of my friends and I GIVE THANKS for that, but at least once a week I have to do a detailed hair comb equal to the one you do when you're searching for lice, and I CANNOT FORGET to check for the super ambitious, super long, super sneaky gray eyebrow hair (YES. you read that right. EYEBROW HAIR) that appears within one hour's time. Seriously. One morning, I was examining my eyebrows while I brushed my teeth, and an hour later I thought there was a loose hair trying to get in my eye. NOPE. That little rascal had popped out and was over an inch long. I am not exaggerating. Truly. I'm not. How does that even happen?! And I used to give Jason a hard time about his wild and unruly old-man eyebrows.
2. Teenagers are fun. And exhausting. And dramatic. And mouthy. And super helpful. I can just leave the house when I want. It's MIND BLOWING. I can just run errands and not bother packing everyone up in the car, double checking to make sure all have shoes, semi-brushed hair, pants, etc... I mean, what a life. I am so spoiled.
3. Working away from home is for the birds Well, in one way. In another way, it brings a few moments of peace and quiet into my day three times a week., and I can deal with that.
4. That whole "through sickness and through health" phrase really starts to play a role. Jason's Lyme disease has really been a booger these past couple of years. And there isn't a guarantee it will get much better. Definitely has a good chance of getting worse.
5. New levels of stress are introduced. See #4
6. Facial skin doesn't stay tight. Young girls, do yourself a favor and start those skin firming rituals now. You'll be glad you did. I don't have any wrinkles...yet... but the ol' facial skin is just saggy. When I put on eyeshadow, my eyelid slides from side to side. It's GROSS.
7. Prayer is vital and life is way harder than you expected. By this age, divorce, cancer or other sicknesses, loss of children, unexpected loss of spouses, etc...have crept in to your life or the lives of your friends and family. Sometimes, oftentimes, prayer is the one thing that keeps you going. The one thing you can offer when your own life is having major trials. Learn to pray. Cling to God. Come BOLDLY before the throne, praising Him for your blessings and telling Him your needs.
8. Find your clan. Now for some, that may just be one person, but for me, I need the support and friendship of many. Surprisingly, this one kind of merges with #2. A lot of my very close friends are the mothers of my children's best friends. Embrace the new friendships that emerge through adulthood. They can be the best ones yet.
9. Get yourself a pedicure every now and then. The world will thank you. Also, shaving your legs everyday is overrated. Every other day will certainly suffice.
10. Don't tan. DON'T.
11. Your wedding is SO not as big of a "thing" as you think it is. Your marriage is a big deal, the wedding is not. Save your energy and finances for something that plays a larger role in your life. I promise you won't regret it. Also, stay out of debt.
And that's all I have for now. I actually had some great thoughts on Wednesday that I wanted to share but I didn't write them down and now they are lost forever.
Unless I think of them again.
