30 For 30

Guest columnist Aaron Pew in this week, with what it means to turn 30.  Is it just as bad/great as everyone says?  Let Aaron tell ya.  Enjoy!

So this is 30, huh?

The week leading up to my birthday has been filled with many emotions, as it’s the very first birthday I am dreading.I’m not dreading the actual day, just the number. 30. It seems so much bigger than 29, isn’t that weird?

Throughout the years, it’s been a mission of mine to be older. I suppose that is a complex most ‘babies of the family’ get. My brothers are 5 and 7 years older than me, so there’s nothing more that I wanted growing up than to be able to do all the things my brothers could do. When I was 7 I wanted to be able to hunt like them; when I was 10 I couldn’t understand why they got to go out with their friends all the time; when I was 16 I couldn’t wait to turn 21 so I could…well you know.

The feeling remained until I hit my 20’s. Ah, I finally made it, I was an adult! I was officially on my own and living life. (By officially on my own, I mean I had a lot of help from my mother, thanks mom!) I was renting a house with friends of mine, I could eat what I wanted when I wanted and I had a job that was actually paying me great money.  I was on top of the world. And then when I hit 21, the world was my punch bowl…or whatever people say…I could drink without looking over my shoulder for 5-0. I felt then I truly had freedom to do whatever I wanted to do, like shots!  A lot of them!

A person’s twenties are that middle ground between youth and adulthood. You are still young enough for people to notice accomplishments, but old enough to have the freedom you always wanted as a teenager. To think of it, I got married, had kids, started a career, went on trips, and I have a great family and group of friends…what can be better?

Now that I’m 30, that all seems like a distant memory. That’s probably because memory is the first thing to go. I have been 30 for a matter of a day (or more depending on when you are reading this), but I am already looking back on my 20s like my glory years. As I am turning 30, the fear is that my individuality will slowly decline. As I get older, I am afraid that I will experience less myself, but live vicariously through others instead. I’m going to steal part of a transcript from one of my favorite comedians, Louis C.K., that explains how I view my 30s. (He was talking about turning 40, but it’s my birthday and I’ll do what I want to)

Here’s the video for the actual stand up, it’s amazing:

  

Everybody I talk to seems to tell me that the 30’s are the best years. I am doing my best to believe all of them, but I seem to remember people told me that about my 20s. So, what do I envision about my 30’s? Well, to start, rigor mortis now seems to set in every time I sit for more than 15 minutes at a time…is that normal?

Physically, I can tell the difference as I get older. I know for those of you that are in your 50s or 60s, you are screaming at this and calling me a baby, but it’s true…I’m no spry chicken anymore. I have to stand up slowly, I have to constantly stretch my neck, I can’t jump as high and I’m definitely not as flexible as I once was. Come to think of it, those might all just mean I need to lose some weight…you can just call me “Magic Pew”.

Mentally, I can see a big shift already. I find myself complaining more about the youth of today. They are so irresponsible! I guess its natural to think of your time as the “glory days” and imagine that life was harder for you than it is for these kids. I mean, I only had a 64-bit gaming system…spoiled brats. The biggest shift, however, is my mind is constantly consumed with big kid thoughts. I have spent more time worrying about budgets, investments, and my 401K in the past year than I would have ever cared too in a lifetime. Life in my 30s is full of insurance, bills, savings, and taxes.

Emotionally, I can truly see that my 30s will be great. I will get the privilege of watching my 3 children grow into teenagers by the time I turn 40. I can see that my 30s will be fulfilled by watching my kids win baseball games, learn to read, and just grow in general. I am already so proud of my kids and where they are all at individually, I can’t imagine how much that is going to grow with time. Another advantage is that I will get to spend a full 10 years with this pretty lady.

While I think about it, it’s clear that these will be the parts of my 30s that I will remember, not the bills or long work days. That is probably why everybody says the 30s are the best. So it’s clear to me that I should take as much time as I can to enjoy the finer things in life.

So my 30s will be alright. As with anything, I will just have to adjust to the new things in life. My life isn’t over. I still have about 7 pool tournaments a year (sorry, Megan).

I will still go on trips, starting with San Fransisco in September! I will still have nights with friends, including the Rat Pack reunion. Most importantly I will remember all of it. I spent so much time in my twenties partying, that I seem to have forgotten a lot of it.  Here’s to looking forward to another great 10 years and more…I can’t imagine what kind of mental breakdown I’m going to have at 40.

And for you kids reading this, I have one message for you: