*sigh*. I turn 30 today

[Heddi]

I feel incredibly old and sad. Like it's all downhill from here.

Being 30 means that there's some expected notion of maturity or responsiblity. Granted, I am mature, and I am responsible, but gosh...I wish people could have credited me with it when I was mature and responsible at 25...or 27. Instead, I got a bunch of "pshaw! You're just a kid"

Now, almost overnight, I'm not "just a kid". There are no "pshaws". There's a difference being a student when you're 28 vs. being a student when you're 30. Difference "just starting a career" at 25 vs. "just starting a career" at 30. Like, people hear that I'm a student now, just "starting a career" when I graduate in 6 months and I assume they look at me like I've been living in my mom's basement since I was 14 or something. Or that I never got my shit together. Or that I'm some kind of louse that took an inordinate amount of time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

Sigh.

I feel old, but I'm barely not young anymore....

[WritingIsMyReligion]

1. Well, 30's damn better than the only alternative...

:D

[trof]

2. Hag.

If I could pick an age to be forever, it would be 35.
You got some smarts, but you can still do stuff.
Chin up.
;-)

[haydukelives]

35. I agree

Enjoy it

[bigwillq]

3. Happy Birthday!

:toast:

[Richard Steele]

4. Grandpa Steele was very fond of saying:

"It's no sin to get old, it's just damned inconvenient."

[Dave Reynolds]

5. 30 never bothered me.

40 was a little bit iffy.

Now, I just am happy to be drawing breath and walking.

Happy birthday, you young thang you!

[trof]

8. 60 was the bummer. You're officially a geezer.

You have to frog march yourself down to the WalMart.
Buy:
1. A pair of big red suspenders
2. An elastic belt
3. A pair of plaid Bermuda shorts
4. A loud Aloha shirt.
5. Black nylon ankle socks
6. DayGlo plastic sandals

You also need a baseball cap, but one which preferably has the insignia of some military unit that no longer exists.

Happy Golden Years.
;-)

[Dave Reynolds]

12. I will probably have to get a desert camo hat,

but I do not think I can do suspenders quite yet. Although my belt buckle spends too much time in a horizontal position.....

[trof]

16. Yeah, but it has to have one side turned up, Aussie style, and

a chin strap.
;-)

[Left Is Write]

14. My dad only has ONE of those six things.

:D

[trof]

18. Lemme guess. The cap?

[Left Is Write]

22. No, I wasn't including the cap...

Out of the six things in your original list, he only has the loud Aloha shirt.

He does like to wear a Panama hat, though. It suits him.

[helderheid]

6. 30 was TOUGH for me. Happy Birthday! I turned 31 in Jan - MUCH better.

[Blue_Tires]

7. i turn 30 this year as well (sept)

and i admit; i've been feeling strange about it as well

[Shine]

9. I am sorry you are sad on your 30th birthday, Heddi.

:hug: I encourage you to do something special for yourself on this special day....even if it's as simple as lighting a candle and speaking your intentions for the upcoming year.

Your words and thoughts have power. Be mindful of how you use them. :hug:

I like to think that as we age, we keep stepping more and more into our own inner power and authenticity.
You are on a journey of growth and evolution....Embrace the changes Life brings! Embrace your goddess nature. :loveya:

Happy Birthday, Heddi. May your blessings outnumber your birthday candles.
:toast:

[BlueIris]

10. I feel that. And screw idiots who think there is a set date by which

you need to have a career plan finalized, set in stone, and embraced. They know...jack shit about the real world, or the nature of the United States' economy, if you ask me. Most people have multiple careers in their lives, with constantly shifting focuses, and most do not have their career objectives sorted out by thirty. Seriously? People who believe that are more likely to have lived in mom's basement since age 14. That sort of rigid non-thinking about what you "should" have accomplished professionally by when sounds like a piece-of-shit essay I read online a while ago on the so-called quarter-life crisis. IT WAS A PIECE OF SHIT.

SCREW THE HATERS. Happy birthday!

[Dave Reynolds]

11. I'm 42,

and I still do not know what I want to be when (or if) I grow up.:hi:

[BlueIris]

15. My Dad's career (in medicine) didn't start until he was 32, my mom's

second career, until she was 45.

I actually do have a career plan, but it is by no means set in stone, it doesn't have hard parameters and because of the nature of this society, it probably won't last until my 70s, you know? Most people have to think hard before they commit, before they switch, what they would do if they had to switch--the fact that most Americans have two to three different careers is something I learned about in HIGH SCHOOL for God's sake. I have no idea who the people being mean to Heddi are, but seriously. I don't think they live around here.

[Redstone]

38. You're absolutely right. The business that I am in didn't even EXIST

until I was about 32, and I started this company at 38 years old. If I had spend more than about four seconds planning my future when I was younger, I'd be doing something else, and not having ANY way near as much fun.

Problably not making as much moolah, either...and that's what lets me devote one day a week to working free for charities and nonprofits. So everybody benefits from my lack of focus and maturity, yes?

See, there's a positive side to everything. Even being oblivious.

Redstone

[Left Is Write]

13. Pshaw! You're just a kid!

Happy Birthday, Heddi! You're not old - I absolutely loved turning 30.

I'm ten years older than you are. Don't let your age get you down!

[FarLeftRage]

17. I turned 48 last Friday...

wanna trade ages?? J/K, of course.

My Grandma always told me, you are as young as you feel and I've always taken her advice... I've never felt old.

Happy b-day!

[Catfight]

19. 30 was my favorite year! A pivot point in one's life...ENJOY! nt

[no name no slogan]

20. I'm 36. I have a very respectable job, owned a house, pay taxes

and I still have NOT grown up. And I'm closer to 40 than I am to 21.

I still like to crank old-skool punk rock on the stereo (which occassionally irritates my neighbors). I do stupid kid-like shit (like play in a loud rock band), and still enjoy telling rude jokes. Until my health gave out I liked to drink and party too. Now I just spend most of my time irritating those "older" than me (even if they are chronologically younger than I am).

You really are only as old as you feel. I feel younger now than I did ten years ago. You only feel as old as you allow yourself to feel.

:hi:

[StaggerLee]

21. You'll be ok. You just need to wear it around for about six months or so.

I'm 38.

Bring on 40 baby! Bring it! :D

[TallahasseeGrannie]

23. Listen to Grannie

The years between 30-40 are great ones. Happy birthday!

[Skittles]

24. oh come on now Heddi, get a GRIP already

30? YOU'RE A BABY TO A LOT OF US.

[miss_american_pie]

25. You're not thirty

You are 29a. (Or if 29 was bad, you can be 28b.) ;)

[ZombieNixon]

27. Or count in base 15 and be 20!

:P

[miss_american_pie]

28. Are you speaking math to me?

May as well be Greek. :P

[ZombieNixon]

29. Look, it's just like normal life

if you had seven fingers on one hand and eight on the other...what's the big dea;? :shrug: :P

[miss_american_pie]

30. Dude

I stay home with very small children all day. Speak slowly and use small words. ;)

[ZombieNixon]

26. But in base 12, it's only 26.

Think positive! Happy birthday! Mine's tomorrow...don't forget! :grr: :P

[LibDemAlways]

31. You're still very young.

I spent my thirties travelling as much as I could and glad I did because I had my one and only child at 40. I'm now the 53-year-old mother of an almost teenager who is keeping me young. I spent part of Christmas vacation taking her to Northern California so she could eat in a restaurant owned by Mike Dirnt of Green Day. I still remember what it was like to be her age, and want her to enjoy every minute of it. There's no right or wrong way to be any age. It's just a number. Happy birthday. Enjoy!

[Rowdyboy]

32. I wasted 3 months being depressed when I turned 30...Dumb move....

The best part of my life began when I was 35 (I met and moved in with my partner) and my career really took off when I turned 40. My income finally reached a point where I was comfortable.

All the best is yet to come. Just relax and enjoy it.

[spacelady]

33. I turned 44 on Feb. 20 th. *sigh*

But it is OK. Even though I have everything I need--
It is all a matter of liking yourself.

[leftofthedial]

34. pshaw! you whippersnapper!

why in my day, turning 30 meant blowing out your candles uphill both ways in the snow

[Redstone]

36. Feh. I got 22 years on you, kiddo, and I ain't grown up yet.

It's all in the attitude. Denial and obliviousness work particularly well for me.

Redstone

[In_The_Wind]

37. Happy Birthday Sweetie

Now that you're over thirty :woohoo: I can really trust you!

BTW ~ March 6th is a very special day indeed.
The angels danced in heaven when you and another very special friend were born on this date. :loveya::loveya:

[Lorien]

39. Most of the "hottest" actresses these days are quite a few years older

than you, so try to keep that in mind.

You're right; one is expected to be fully "adult' at 30-at least traditionally. But if 40 is the new 30, then 30 must be the new 21. I've known plenty of people in their early 30's who were still living with their parents so that they could afford graduate school. Life is just more expensive these days.Now those same people are facing 40, they have the job, house, spouse, kids...and they sometimes long for the freewheeling days of 32!

I'm unmarried, no kids, and i'm thinking of going to graduate school in a year or two. I turn 41 at the end of the month, and I don't give a damn if someone else thinks I should have done more by now. The opportunities come when they come, and one can't profit by dwelling on regrets. I've known elderly 30 year olds, and youthful 70 year olds. Age really isn't anything but a number

[Zomby Woof]

40. Happy Birthday youngster!

I will hit 39 this year, and will enjoy saying "I am in my 30's" all I can. :D

Edit: future tense. :-)

[Heddi]

41. Last night, I told my husband

to get a screw in while he could because it would be the last time his pee-pee touched anything remotely close to being in their 20's ha ha ha

[Zomby Woof]

42. LMAO!

I believe he will come around (pun intended?) to appreciating the finer qualities of older women. My wife-to-be is 10 years older than I am, and is 1000's of times hotter than any 20-something. :D

[Missy Vixen]

43. Your life is just beginning

I am 45. The greatest years so far have been from 30 on, and I look forward to what will happen when I hit my 50's.

Happy Birthday, heddi, and remember -- you are with someone you love dearly, embarking on a career that you really want, and it's nothing but blue skies and sunshine from here on out. When I turned 30, I was working at something I truly disliked, there was nobody on the horizon, and things sucked a bit. They turned around.

You will love your 30's.
Julie

[XOKCowboy]

48. Like Julie Said...

I turned 30 in 1984. That was during Reagan. The next year I got laid off of what I thought was going to be my career. 6 months later I'd moved to Denver and was embarking on my current career. Who knew?

The point is, don't look back because you're got a lot of the future right in front of ya.

[China_cat]

44. I turned 30 30 years ago. Get over it.

[Dem2theMax]

45. I'm turning 50 this year. Want to trade?

Now do you feel better?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

46. Another March B-day DUer

We should all get together next year and throw one hell-of-a party.

Don't feel too bad about being 30. Feel bad about the fact that from now on they years FLY by. :P


I hope you had a great B-Day... :)

[u4ic]

47. I wish I could go back to 30

I didn't start to feel comfortable in my own skin till around then.

It's not as bad as it seems, Heddi. :hug:

I'll be 40 in the summer. Another milestone, and I'm sure I'll start a similar thread. ;)

[hfojvt]

49. when I turned 30, almost 1/3 of my lifetime ago

my little brother sent me a mylar balloon. It said "Roses are red, violets are blue. I'm laughing like hell 'cause I'm younger than you."
What a drag it is getting old.
But it beats the alternative.

[nutsnberries]

50. a day late but, Happy 30th Birthday!!! -nt

[ProfessorGAC]

51. Sheesh That Ain't Old

I went back to graduate school for a 3rd advanced degree when i was older than that! T'ain't nothin'. It'll all be good!
The Professor

[underpants]

52. HAPPY BIRTHDAY

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/

Tammy Faye Baker and Willard Scott!!!!

1973 Bangladesh's first democratic leader
1936 Hitler reoccupies the Rhineland
STANLEY KUBRICK DIES:
March 7, 1999

http://www.historychannel.com/today/

[REDKING]

53. Happy birthday...

Its no big thing,Honestly.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

54. Heddi, I'm probably old enough to be your mother

Thirty-year-olds look YOUNG to me.

You're not a superannuated student slacker. You're embarking on a second career! Tell that to anyone who gives you any grief.