A Long Talk about Us Reaching the Stars in The Swinging Thirties

Last night, Rupert and I got into one of our "thirties" discussions. We've had these several times now with me usually starting off with...

It is quite different when you turn thirty.

I expressed that something clicks with you when you enter this phase of your life. Pretty much, from my experience, my perspective has come quite clear in what I need to do to be successful. Turning thirty has also taught me where I want to be and how I want to end up when I turn around sixty.

When you start hanging out with your elders---people who are in their late fifties, folks who are in the sixties, and even beyond that, you start learning a lot about what decisions you want to make and how want to end up. My next door co-worker JewerlyMaker...she is my new hero. First, she is always giving me wisdom and telling me stories about what I should be aware as I've started to become older. I realized that having her next time to me is a blessing...and having IT guy there is a blessing as well. They pretty much have taught me that while I am at the university how I should utilize my time there. I need to move around in job positions so I can title promotions and huge salary jumps with that. I also need to build up my leave hours fast and let alone my six hours. And take advantage of the few incentives that are offered by the university.

They also have helped me not beat myself up for utilizing ALL the opportunities and advantages that I had in my twenties. At the beginning when I was talking to JewerlyMaker, I would beat myself up for being an idiot for not going traveling, or not joining more organizations, nor not networking well. However, I am back into the "college scene" now as an adult. Instead of beating myself up for being a foolish twenty year old, instead, I think about those experiences that I didn't capitalize on and try to see if I can find another way or another chance to see if those opportunities exist right now. On February 15, 2014, it will be 10 months since I've been working for the university...and I've already know a lot of valuable information. I am confident that there is more to discover about the place and use it to my advantage.

This goes back to what Rupert and I were discussing. I was telling him about how his father and I talked about investing and what that means when you turn thirty. I told Rupert I didn't realize how important my future savings were until I did turn thirty. When you are in your twenties, you never really think about your future yourself in your sixties and beyond because you believe your are secure in your invincibility. However, when you turn thirty, as I've expressed, you notice these slight changes that remind you aren't twenty anymore. That you are wisdom-meter grown degrees...but your body is starting to breakdown slightly. You could recover from injuries or being drunk when you were in your twenties pretty fast. Yet, when you are in your thirties, you don't recover as fast.

You also think about what you don't want when become older. I know I don't want to be in assisting living, a nursing home, or anyone else taking care of me except Rupert...and I do not want to be dependent on him for anything like that. I look at Papa H. who is 83 and is pretty well-preserved being alive. I mean he moves around pretty well, still drives well, still writers and reads well...and is quite active. If you ask me who my hero was, it would be him. I want to be in that kind of shape he is in. I don't want to grow old and wait to become senile. I want to have a happy active life even though my body is still falling apart. At least, he is still falling apart at a slower rate than most 80 year olds. I want to make sure I don't fall apart like most people because I do want to live that long.

So, as a thirty year old now, my wheels are churning. How do I get to the kind life that Papa H. has? Well, first off, I am still young enough to catch up. Sure, if I started working when I was 22 years old with the type of job I have now, I would be way better off. Yet, you know what? Not everyone moves at the rate that everyone else does. I will take what I can get...and at least I got a job when I was 31...and didn't wait until I was 41.

Next, the type of job I have is a great one where I can move around and make more money and still keep my benefits. I got decent health insurance...and I am in a town where there is a lot of physical activity you can do. I am still young enough to get in shape. I am also still young enough to make organized plans and stick with them.

I still have the chance/opportunity to be a writer and do other creative projects I want to do. I have realized that it is never too late...all I need is to keep working on my time management skills and getting better and better mastering my routine...and utilizing that as well.

I know I am using the word "utilize" a lot, and it is my keyword right now in my life. Looking back over ten years ago, I did utilize a lot of my opportunities...but I could have utilize every opportunity. Now, I realize, with the wisdom and experience that I have, when all opportunities come, I will take them. I've learned that I cannot be sentimental and stay somewhere. Adaptability comes with a price...and that's leaving those behind so you can become successful. It is not that you are trying to hurt people...but you do have to look at for yourself in such a way that you are giving yourself the best love and care so you can be the kind of person you are proud of...and other people as well.

These lessons took a decade for me to learn, but that's okay. I have them now. Last year, I wrote that I am starting to feel like myself again. I like to make a correction: I feel like a better version of myself. I do have the best of both worlds now. The wisdom...and still the youth. I am still scaling the art of balance...and you have to work hard and practice on that every day.

Regards, SMF