I turn 30 today. Thank God.

Now, I will say 30 doesn’t look anything like I thought it would..

                   but so what?!

Maybe it’s the new year, or maybe it’s the new me, but I have recently become somewhat of a reflective person. So, this post is probably half reflection, a decent portion therapeutic journaling, some part red wine, and at least 23% cliché, but here it goes. After reviewing my last decade of life, there are some things that are true for me at 30 that were not so true at 20:

• I know what I’m talking about at least half the time.
• I don’t worry so much about things I can’t change or what people think.
• I worry about things like lowering my cable bill and what’s covered by my insurance. 
• I know how to really enjoy a day off.
• I read poetry and I like it.
• I go to the dentist because I want to. Research tells me I will live an average of 7 years longer if I see my dentist regularly. I’m excited to turn 30. I want to give myself a shot at being excited to turn 90.
• Mundane tasks like cleaning, cooking and sleeping are nothing less than therapeutic.
• Speaking of sleeping- it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
• Speaking of therapy- I go.
• I don’t shy away from confrontation.
• I can say “No.” To my friends. To my family. To my co-workers… and the world still spins. Fancy that.
• I don’t pretend to like things I don’t like.
• I don’t like alcohol. Or I should say, it doesn’t like me. Apparently somewhere between the age of 20 and 30, I developed an alcohol allergy. Except for wine. Wine is still my friend.
• I don’t put too much effort into relationships that are not meaningful. 
• I know that failure isn’t really failure, because it means I tried. Rather, it’s a chance to try again with more experience.
• I know that people change, relationships change and sometimes relationships end, and when they do, I will be okay.

As it turns out, I’m entering this new decade with better judgment, partly because I have a clearer understanding of what I want out of life, and partly because I’ve “been there done that.” To quote Maya Angelou, “When you know better, you do better.”

So, here’s to doing better.