Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Oh Shit, I'm 30.


December 27, 2010.  As my alarm sounded and my eyes slowly opened I was greeted with the melodious voice of my wife repeating, "Happy birthday! Happy birthday!..." My mind was consumed with a single, unescapable thought:  Oh shit, I'm 30.
I decided to conduct an status assessment.  As I stood up and made my way toward the bathroom mirror I could feel no symptoms of arthritis onset.  No pot-belly had appeared overnight.  A glance in the mirror confirmed that my hair line was still intact.  All other masculine functions appeared to be working properly.
I directed my investigation inward.  No unexplained inclination towards easy listening music - that's a good sign.  Urge to purchase a convertible?  None.   Do I still remember how to work my phone, tv, and computer?  Yep.
Okay, it looks like I'm going to make it.

They say 30 is the new 20.  (But most folks who tell me that are in their 40's.)  But as I take a quick glance back over the past three decades, I am really grateful for the experiences I have been able to enjoy.  I feel I must have squeezed an extra couple of months in there somewhere.

I have always believed that time is relative.  (Yes, I know - a really smart guy with bad hair explained that a while back.)  But my assertion of relativity is quite a bit simpler.  We all perceive time differently, based on how long we have lived.  To a 10 year old, the span of a single year seems like an eternity - for it comprises 10% of his known lifetime.  However, by the time you are 50, a single year passes by in the blink of an eye, for it only represents 2% of your lifetime.  This may explain why it is so hard for a toddler to sit still for 5 minutes or why my Mom is never anywhere on time.  Just kidding, Mom.

But with this relative view of time, we also tend to devalue the worth of a passing minute as we age.  As adults will sit and watch reality tv for hours on end, while as kids we felt the need to clarify our age in fractions, "I'm five and three quarters."

As a new member of a sporting community whose most rivaled competition is in the 30-39 year old range, I enjoy the fact that I may actually be heading into my prime during my third decade.  I am arguably in the best shape of my life, and I am much smarter than I was when I rounded the corner at 20.  So unlike many who truly dread their 30's - I think this might be my best decade yet.

Real quick, I just want to say thanks to my friends and family for a great thirty years, especially my wife Heidi who has run with me through the last ten.

4 comments:

  1. Ha ha..the beginning of this post cracked me up! Happy Birthday!!

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  2. Thanks for stopping by my blog and HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

    So you're a triathlete! Awesome! That's my goal for 2011. To be come one =)

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  3. Soon all the music will be too loud. You will hate all the music on the radio. You will be talking about the good old days. And a gray hair will pop up is start to multiply like weeds. I'm in my early 30s also. I am seeing it happen. What till you have a kid you will see it more. It's not a bad thing. Growing older is better than the alternative. :-)

    Happy Birthday

    Kevin
    http://halftriing.blogspot.com

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  4. I just landed squarely on 35 (I won't even get into it), but I will say I loved turning 30 and my 30s have - thusfar - been WAY better than my 20s!! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

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