Can I have my mid-life crisis to go, please?
It couldn't be more obvious that I'm turning 30 today. Parts are already falling off of me. I started noticing it last night after getting up from a legs-crossed sitting position when my knee took some serious coaxing to un-bend. And then, in the elementary class I teach on Wednesday nights, I actually asked one of the kids why they were putting their feet up and scuffing up my chairs, and I sounded EXACTLY like my then-ancient fourth grade music teacher. And this morning, on my 30th birthday, I am up at 4 AM with insomnia. After going to bed at NINE. I have officially reached old fart-dom.
It's weird, because mentally I'm still 18. I don't feel much more mature than that. I still love hard rock and rap music. Every now and then, I still roll down my windows and blast my music at innocent passersby. I still buy every single version of Optimus Prime that Hasbro puts out. I still watch cartoons. I still like hitting on random girls with no intention of ever developing a relationship with them. I still spike my hair. I still dress up for Halloween (and yes, that's me in this year's costume above.)
Yet at the same time, I am absolutely exhausted by ten o'clock every night. Increasingly, my music collection consists of stuff that high schoolers of this day have never heard of. The last Optimus Prime that I bought had the label "Classic" on it. My favorite cartoon just celebrated it's 20th anniversary. And the random girls I hit on are more impressed by a paycheck than they are with how far I can throw a football. And for those of you who are waiting for me to say something about thinning hair, I still got all mine, and it's the original color. HA! Score one for me.
I find myself less concerned with what kind of knowledge I'll gain in the next few years than I am with how far down I can get my pantsize (I'm down 30 pounds and shrinking, thank you very much!) I'm more concerned with a 401K than I am with a vacation package.
Yet at the same time, I'm not done with life. There's a million more things that I feel I have left to do. And I intend on doing them all.
Thirty...such a weird age. Yet one that I shall grow from, God willing. If I have my way, the next decade will overshadow the previous one by a long country mile.
(psssst...yes, I'm back.)
posted by J.D. @ 4:25 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I think you're having a harder time with this than I am, JD.
For me, 30 feels great. When I "made the switch" back in the summer, I felt like my teens and twenties were just a pre-cursor to this.
Yes, I have a harder time rolling out of bed these days, but I get a lot more respect than I did as a 'kid.'
Oh and thank God, I still have all my hair, too.
Hmmm, you know, I had that initial sort of shock when I turned 30, but the 30s turned out all right, after all. Like you, I feel pretty young and am often shocked when I meet people my age who look/act 10+ years older than I - it's jarring.
The shock of turning 40 is even greater, but that's turning out to be not so bad either.
Welcome back!
So THAT'S what's been going on, JD! You were worried about turning the big 3-0 all this time!!!!
I remember my 30th - I wasn't at all worried about it coming, until the day arrived. I was in the biggest funk All Day Long. Cried on and off - it was bizarre. But I lived. And I have to say that so far I'd take my 30s over my 20s any day.
Happy Birthday!!! And heh, Optimus Prime!!! My little brother (who's 31) was all about the Optimus Prime back in the day.
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