Thirty and Flirty and Thriving

One of my favorite country songs growing up was a well known tune about a girl who falls in love with a boy while he works summers on her grandpa's farm. It's a beautifully sad tune, with a haunting sort of melody and surprisingly unproblematic lyrics.

One of those lyrics, the one that got a good chuckle out of the adults that heard me sing along with the radio, rings a little truer than it used to:

Cause I still remember
When thirty was old

Problem is, 30 still feels pretty old. Like a title I don't really have any business claiming yet. I spent last night pondering how it is that I'm entering my 3rd decade of life when I barely feel old enough to manage my day to day life.

And then I did the math.

I celebrate my first ever 1 year anniversary with a significant other in September, and I have yet to completely freak out even though it's terrifying and I have no idea what I'm doing.

Next month, I will have lived in my apartment for 4 years.

I start my 6th year at my school in the fall, my third year there as an assistant teacher.

October will mark my 9th anniversary of moving to Seattle. A decision I made entirely on my own and with a job and housing lined up.

I graduated college 9 years ago, despite anxiety and depression nearly causing me to fail several required classes. I have worked in one or both of my fields the entire time I have been out of school, and I sought therapy to work through the issues that made being a student so hard for me.

I've traveled to Europe by myself on two occasions

I have made, found, and kept in touch with the family and friends who have shaped me into the compassionate, outspoken advocate that I hope I'm growing up to be.

I'm starting grad school in the fall to pursue both my goal of being an advocate in the world, and helping the United Methodist Church get it's head on ...better.

I'm currently celebrating my birthday in Hawaii with on of my best friends because I save up air miles.

I'm still growing, and I still have a lot of things I need to work on, but I'm in a way better place than my anxiety addled brain would sometimes have me believe.

So as a stand on the porch of an adorable cottage, one whole day into my 31st rotation around the sun, watching it rise over mango and palm trees in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm 30 and flirty and thriving.

And I couldn't have gotten this far without you.