Really, now?!

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-women-are-most-appealing-at-age-31/

Just my luck to stumble across this article. It is something I often think about: my age progression and how I'm fitting into some sort of mold. I am 30, and will turn the page at the end of this year.

In some ways, I can already relate to this, and in other ways, not really. I do feel like everything that's happened in my life happened at the right time, even though some things were questionable. What I'm saying is that I was able to live my 20s in a way that I wanted: graduated from college, found and worked jobs (nothing from my dreams, though), toured with a band, had a social life that I was pleased with and experienced what it was like to have good financial management. Everything changed at age 27, when I faced an unexpected twist in my life. Now don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in unplanned events being the answer to some questions. At that age, I had been pondering in the prior 4 years what to do with my life. I wasn't interested in settling down or having a family, but I also wasn't sure what else there was to do outside of music -- which my life had revolved around since high school. I really wanted a reason to quit music, but I wasn't about to just give it up without doing something in its place. Well, the unexpected twist was that I found out it was in my destiny, after all, to be a parent.

SO my world turned upside down. At first, it was scary. Then I realized it was the answer I was looking for: I was unsure what I wanted in my life, I had no concrete plans, and then that. The thought of parenthood completely changed me overnight, and from there, I knew that I had to be smart about everything I did. And that's how I closed my 20s. I gave birth to a boy, and just less than 2 years later, I gave birth to a girl. They have kept me on track and focused with their futures, and my own future. (And yes, their papa is in our lives, we are a happy family)

When I hit 30, I did nothing to celebrate it. I really didn't think it was a big deal, and I still don't. But I can safely say that I am comfortable with this, despite finances being a pain in the ass these days. I'm grateful for what I went through in my 20s, because now, I do feel set and settled and entering my 30s feel like I am complete enough for what the next chapter brings me. I'm done pondering with where my life is going, and yet I am happy to be able to look back and see that I got to experience a great time in my young adult life when I had no kids, no husband, no mortgage, no fear about losing my job, etc. I was able to go out regularly and not worry so much about money or having kids to tuck in at night. I didn't party or do anything wild, but I exercised my limits and created great memories to tell my kids that I used to hang out with some of the coolest people I will ever know. I do feel that the events in my life so far all happened at the time they were meant to be, because by the time I turned 30, I found my peace without any real regrets that I wasn't able to do what I should have done. So I guess when I turn 31, I won't be too sour about turning another year old and instead, I'll know that I'm ready to enjoy what's to come. The part about me not relating to the points of that article is mostly just that at heart, I'm a kid and I will never actually grow up.