So now that I am 30…
First of all, thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and thought of me this week. I have great friends and family, and I am touched by your kindness. Thank you!
So, I turned 30 this week and I would be lying if I told you that it isn’t a little traumatic. I know it’s not that old, but it is a milestone, and it has caused me to take inventory of my life and measure myself against the goals I have for myself. What am I proud of? What do I regret? Who do I love? How did I get here? What’s next? I suppose this is normal, and I feel good about my life and who I am.
With all the soul searching I didn’t have any big moment of clarity and there wasn’t any big revelation. And maybe that’s the lesson. Life is just one endless search to figure out who you are. The arbitrary importance that we put on certain ages (10, 13, 16, 21, 30, 40, 50, etc) are meaningless points on timeline. The important thing is that you do the best you can and take time every once in a while to reflect on what it means to be you.
I read a story a while back about the death of the author who wrote “100 Things to Do Before You Die.” He died at 47, but he lived his life to the fullest. This and other similar stories have made me want to write a list of things that I want to do in my lifetime. Some are relatively easy and others would be amazing achievements. The important thing is having goals and dreams. I plan on updating it as I go, but here is the first draft:
Write a novel
Learn to play the guitar, write a song, and record an album
Write a check for $1,000,000
Write a screenplay
Direct a motion picture
Build and mass-produce a camera that I design
Jump out of an airplane
Be debt free
Design my house
Save someone’s life
Own a Warhol painting
Shake hands with the President
Have an exhibit of my photography
Publish a book of my photography
Teach a college class
Have my name or work mentioned in Wired
Run a marathon
If you are in a similar reflective mood, I encourage you to make your own list. It feels good to have dreams and ambitions even if you die before they are all checked off. So now that I am 30, it feels pretty good. Life keeps getting better and I can’t wait to see what my 30’s bring me!
