How did you feel when you hit the Big 3O?

How did you feel the transition from 20s to 30s? And how did you clebrate the big day?

I am going to hit it this Jan first day of second week, and kind of freaking out. Am I getting old? Can I still wear the cute skirts I recently bought from Loft? Feels like life is moving too fast, will be retiring in 30 years, haven't got babies yet, need to rush....

Omg, I think I'll just go to sleep. Chow.

30 never bugged me that much.  It was surprising how fast it came, but it was 35 that freaked me out.  I had 2 kids and a wife, and a career that wasn't going as great as I had hoped, and suddenly middle age was looming.  I reached 275 lbs, felt like crap and drank too much beer.  After months and months of morbid thoughts I finally decided that since I'm going to die anyway, I wanted to make sure that for the remaining years of my life, I would live life the way I want to, and not waste it being immobile and depressed.

I've got my weight pretty much in check and feel much better, hardly ever drink, and overall my thoughts are more positive, but life is still tough.

Half of me wants to tell you "don't hurry to have the kids" because they don't make life any easier, but the other side wants me to say "hurry up and have them, there's nothing like raising your kids".  

Anyway, 30's a great age to be.  It's after 35, when 40 starts staring you in the face that it's a bit scary. 

I kept thinking that I am no longer a young adult and time is wasting and felt a tremendous amount of responsibility for my life. I would like to forget that birthday as it was a bad day not for turning 30 but because of the jerk I was dating at that time.

Pffft! Age ain't nothin' but a number. Thirty didn't bother me one bit! I don't understand why everybody gets a bug up their butt about it. Our lives are SO MUCH MORE than just the first 20 (or 29) years! I FEEL 18! That's all that matters! :) I wouldn't go back to the 20s for anything.

Thirty-FIVE wasn't any big deal either. I'm 37, approaching 40! I WELCOME it! :) I love moving forward. I'm single, no kids. I don't think I have to hurry up for that either. Women have babies well into their 40s. And if I run into a problem, big deal, I adopt. Mind over matter! Don't fret over stuff you can't control! Embrace it! :)

Turning 30 was more of a wakeup call for my health I didnt exactly feel like an old woman. I was cheerfull on my bday  Im glad to have been around another yr with my family=)

I was a little freaked due to the whole "unmet goals" thing.  I had a quiet dinner with my best friend and didn't even tell anyone else it was my b-day until about a week later...

Naaa didn't bother me at all,no big thing,now turning 40 was a bit different,just cause freinds were making a big thing of it,we went shopping and had a great day,I always say......you are as old as you think you are

Hope you have a great day,enjoy it

I'm 42 ... turning 30 was no big deal. I was in the thick of raising young children. I had gotten my act together, lost a lot of weight, was at the peak of my fitness back then. In fact, I still hold on to my driver's license photo from that year: I looked great, better at 30 than I did at 17 or 21 or 25.

Turning 35 I had a bit of a minor crisis. I recall my mother locked herself in her bedroom for three days around her 35th bday. Back then, 35 was considered "mid-life." (Which is kinda funny, because chances are very high my mom will live well into her 90s and maybe even past 100 - all the women in my family live long, long lives).

Also it was around  my 35th bday that my marriage started to unravel. I think I got introspective and took time to ask myself, "Is this the relationship I want to be in the rest of my life" and the answer was no.

I thought turning 40 was going to be really bad. I spent my entire 39th year dreading it, looking in the mirror searching for wrinkles and gray hairs. But the reality was that at 40 I was happier than ever, more content with who I am as a person, and where my life is taking me. I spent my 40th with two of my best friends, who'd turned 40 before me, plus my family.

It's funny this thread comes up today, because just yesterday I finally got around to framing this photo of me and my two girlfriends, all decked out for my 40th bday. And damn... do we look good!!!

Now I'm rambling but, I'll just say this: your teens, 20s and 30s are a time when things are a bit unsettled and life is bumpy. Your teens and twenties are about doing things you are supposed to do (study, get into college, get good grades). Your 30s are all about doing things you have to do (raise kids, start a career to earn money). Your 40s (or 50s, if you start the family part late) are all about doing what you WANT to do. You now have the money to do it, and your kids are probably less dependent on you.

But there's nothing that says in the rulebook you have to wait until you're older to start doing what you want to do. If you have no kids now, it's a great time to start doing what you want.

I just turned 30 in November. For me, it was really OK. The number itself doesn't matter much to me- what mattered was if I was were I wanted to be in life at that age. I happened to feel like I was close to where I wanted to be at age 30 when it happened- my BF and I had just bought a house and were (are) talking about getting married next year, we had finally moved back to be close to my family after long years away, and I had finally finished my Ph.D. So, I was feeling pretty good. I must admit that it does bother me that I am always called "Ma'am" now, though...

30 was great.  I decided that it was time to really make the most of life, and with the support of some close friends, overcame some patterns that kept me from doing and being what I wanted. I started doing yoga and fixed some body alignment problems that caused pain in running and cycling. I loved my 30s -- I was old enough to be taken seriously and achieve things in the world, and young enough to get support and mentoring when I needed it.

40 sucked (I'm 42 now).  Between 35 and 40, I broke up with a longterm boyfriend and most of my friends got married or had kids (if already married).  When there are problems, the problems are really big. Social life becomes what I hated about my parents life -- a series of events with small talk.  I "grew out" of the mentors I knew, and didn't have people to turn to for advice with work stress, and feel like it's a lot less ok to ask for help anyway. 

So, I loved 30s, and still not sure what to do with 40s. 

 

I turn 30 next fall, and for me its a 'milestone' in a few ways... The most signifigant being that it will be one year to the day that my dad died from an aneurysm. 

Two months ago, turning 29 barely even registered for me - between spending the week in the hospital at his bedside, then with him passing away and having to try and deal with all the conflicting emotions - its my brithday but its a horrible day... very hard.

I am hoping that next year, I can still find a way to celebrate and embrace turning 30.  I dont want to live my life as the girl who's dad died on her birthday, who can never celebrate or have a good day.  Right now, being 30 is not scary or upsetting and I want to look at each new year as a gift.  I want to remember my dad and realize how precious life is.  And I am blessed that I will always have friends and family around to help me through the hard day.

Thanks for all the great advice and sharing your experiences. You people rock!

So yesterday I dressed in the chick jacket my better half had forcibly got for me (I wanted an older version of the same), and saw a very young and beautiful girl in the mirror who has a lot to accomplish.

Me get back to work on accomplishing my dreams. Chow!

Quite honestly, the only thing notable about my 30th birthday was that my hubby and his mom threw a party in a "over the hill" theme.  They intended it to be a surprise party, but they didn't hear the garage door go up, so I walked in while everyone was standing around jabbering and I said "What are all these people doing in our kitchen?"  So I did get a decent laugh out of it.

But I really didn't feel old, or sad, or find myself re-evaluating my life for accomplishments or goals.  I recall feeling that I needed to lose weight, but at the same time I thought "hey, I'll have plenty of time for that later" - and I proceeded to have a bunch of pizza and birthday cake.  I was pretty comfortable with myself at the time - not a big deal.

You're only as old as you let yourself feel.  30 years is actually a lot of time - and you get to decide how to live them.  It's pretty cool, actually. 

 

I loved turning 30. I found it very liberating. I was glad that I could no longer be considered a 'twenty somethin' and I felt like I was finally a legitimate adult (nevermind the whole turning 18 and voting, or 21 to drink) in the eyes of other 'adults'.
Weird, I know. But, for me it was great.