Why I love my 30's

When I was in my 20's, I was sure that 30 was the beginning of the end.
To someone who didn't even get married until she was nearly in her 30's, that age meant the end of fun. People in their 30's were settled (read that like a 4-letter word). They had responsibilities and spent their time talking about what their lives used to be like before they were married and had kids.
As someone who thoroughly enjoyed her 20's, I mourned the end of that time, but in my heart I still saw myself as a "kid" even as I approached the dreaded 3-0. I was different, I was sure. Yes, I was getting married and buying a house and would have children. But I would never get old.
And truth be told, I still don't see myself as OLD. But I do see that I'm older. And that's a good thing. Because although I had a lot of fun as a 20-something, I also lived rather recklessly sometimes and lacked self-awareness. I made bad decisions and didn't love myself for who I was. I was constantly trying to metamorphose into something else -- always looking for something new to define me and make sense of me.
The miracle of approaching my mid-30's is that somehow along the way, I've grown into myself and come to truly accept and like the person I am. And that, I think, is the source of that "settledness" I perceived among older people. What I saw as boring in my 20's now looks like contentment in my 30's. I don't need to jump out of a plane or climb mountains to find meaning in my life. I create meaning every day, with every decision and with every interaction.
I am no longer looking for myself. I just am me.

I'm a Writer (at heart)

There's really only one way to start this blog out, and that's with an explanation of why I was motivated to create it in the first place.
For that, we need to go back to a conversation I recently had with a good friend. We were discussing identity and the notion of a "calling." Are we meant to be doing the things we're doing, or did we just happen into our careers on our way to wherever we're supposed to end up.
I thought about this a long time, and admitted what I really do believe deep deep down -- that I'm supposed to be a writer.
But I'm not.
And I don't know how to make the leap into writing.
My friend, in her infinite wisdom, looked at me like I'd grown another head.
"You're overthinking this, C," she informed me, tapping her fingernails on the table, "Just write!"

So that's what I'm doing here. Just writing.