Age is a funny thing. I don’t mean funny ha ha, like how it’s funny to laugh at old people when they can’t find their reading glasses and ask you to read the menu or how it’s funny to stand outside of movie theaters and taunt teenagers turned away from the latest R-rated sexy gore laden cinematic masterpiece. Both activities are favorite past times of mine, but I’ve taken the day off of laughing at others (except for Jana of course, I’m always in the mood to laugh at Jana). Today I am in a rare philosophical mood, if you need to step out for some fresh air while I pontificate, feel free—it won’t take long and I’ll still be here in the internets waiting for you when you get back . . .
Age is a funny thing because it is one of the few things that we all have in common, no matter how different our backgrounds our lives all follow the same basic trajectories and milestones. The number of candles on your last birthday cake defines you in the eyes of others while serving as a jumping off point for how you judge the people you meet everyday.
As you may have already guessed today we are celebrating yet another milestone birthday at Sixthman. Our favorite office manager a.k.a. the keeper of the candy bowl, Kelly, turned thirty today. Because she takes such good care of the rest of us on our birthdays, we thought we’d be nice and return the favor—thirty-fold.
When I say we, I really mean the rest of my co-workers as I took the day off of making fun of others. The rest of Sixthman took no such day off. This morning as I surveyed Kelly’s desk in anticipation for her arrival, counting the thirty rolls of toilet paper, thirty tubes of chapstick, thirty cookie cutters, thirty bars of Irish Spring, thirty plastic army men, thirty mini traffic cones, thirty pictures of Angelina Jolie, and God knows what else the benevolent birthday fairies left thirty of, I reflected on where I want to be in my life when I turn thirty in less than three years.
If you had asked me what my life’s goals prior to turning thirty were five years ago I’m sure they would have had something to do with publishing my first novel, traveling the world and maybe starting to think about marriage. Now with only 3 years before I join Kelly on the other side of 30 (when she’ll still be older than me) I’ve come up with some really good ideas for several novels and cruising in the Caribbean as a part of my job is awesome but not exactly the world travel I imagined. Oh yeah, and about that maybe starting to think about marriage thing—when I turn thirty I’ll also be celebrating my five year wedding anniversary.
So, Kelly, is thirty what you thought it would be?
What about everyone else, did your parents do the down and dirty resulting in the beautiful you less than thirty years ago? More than thirty years ago? Double thirty years ago? Not telling?
What was your life like when you were thirty? If you’re thirty now, is it how you imagined it when you were twenty? What are your life’s goals before you turn thirty?
-Joy