Sunday marked the Big 30 for me. Besides the fact I bid adieu to my 20's, I can't say that my 30th birthday felt much different than my 29th birthday--or my 25th for that matter. Well, I take that back. My 25th birthday was exciting because I started paying less for car insurance.
As a means of commemorating my 30th, though--and as a means of having something to blog about--I thought I'd use this post to take stock of my life a little to this point, hopefully providing a little levity for my readers along the way. By the very nature of this sort of post, I know I'm risking steering into all-out navel-gazing territory. My apologies in advance.
At 30, I ___
1. am in the best shape of my life. (Kudos to Body for Life. I thank you as does my wife.)
2. still have embarrassingly little know-how for auto and home repairs.
3. find my questions about life outnumber my answers.
4. am no longer holding out for a growth spurt.
5. feel like I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be to be a father.
6. have spent 5/6 of my life following the school year calendar.
7. miss the days before reality TV.
8. have only read a fraction of the books I'd like to.
9. feel like I have a noble profession and believe I'm good at it.
10. wish I got paid considerably more for what I do.
11. wish finances would/could concern me less.
12. regret my perpetual self-absorption from high school through my mid-20's.
13. prefer Austin to any other place I've lived.
14. feel incredibly blessed to have a wonderful wife who loves me in spite of my quirks and flaws.
15. feel like I've been married for more than three years--I mean that in a good way.
16. don't miss dating.
17. miss the days before Clear Channel radio.
18. am increasingly aware of my own mortality.
19. would like to get back into writing letters.
20. hope to be a better husband, son, and brother.
21. am happy to say I still haven't ever seen Titanic.
22. readily admit to having conversations with my dog in which I speak for him.
23. can't eat nearly as much as I used to.
24. still prefer driving to any other mode of transportation.
25. hope I've made a positive, lasting impact on at least a handful of my students.
26. still can't explain why the outcome of Maryland Terrapins basketball games have an emotional impact on me.
27. am just as much of a night owl as I've always been.
28. have watched The Shawshank Redemption countless times and would gladly watch a TNT marathon of it right now.
29. still couldn't grow a beard if my life depended on it, which crushes any hope of one day being a lumberjack.
30. have amassed an inordinate amount of music trivia knowledge. Now if only Rock'n'Roll Jeopardy would come back on the air.
As a means of commemorating my 30th, though--and as a means of having something to blog about--I thought I'd use this post to take stock of my life a little to this point, hopefully providing a little levity for my readers along the way. By the very nature of this sort of post, I know I'm risking steering into all-out navel-gazing territory. My apologies in advance.
At 30, I ___
1. am in the best shape of my life. (Kudos to Body for Life. I thank you as does my wife.)
2. still have embarrassingly little know-how for auto and home repairs.
3. find my questions about life outnumber my answers.
4. am no longer holding out for a growth spurt.
5. feel like I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be to be a father.
6. have spent 5/6 of my life following the school year calendar.
7. miss the days before reality TV.
8. have only read a fraction of the books I'd like to.
9. feel like I have a noble profession and believe I'm good at it.
10. wish I got paid considerably more for what I do.
11. wish finances would/could concern me less.
12. regret my perpetual self-absorption from high school through my mid-20's.
13. prefer Austin to any other place I've lived.
14. feel incredibly blessed to have a wonderful wife who loves me in spite of my quirks and flaws.
15. feel like I've been married for more than three years--I mean that in a good way.
16. don't miss dating.
17. miss the days before Clear Channel radio.
18. am increasingly aware of my own mortality.
19. would like to get back into writing letters.
20. hope to be a better husband, son, and brother.
21. am happy to say I still haven't ever seen Titanic.
22. readily admit to having conversations with my dog in which I speak for him.
23. can't eat nearly as much as I used to.
24. still prefer driving to any other mode of transportation.
25. hope I've made a positive, lasting impact on at least a handful of my students.
26. still can't explain why the outcome of Maryland Terrapins basketball games have an emotional impact on me.
27. am just as much of a night owl as I've always been.
28. have watched The Shawshank Redemption countless times and would gladly watch a TNT marathon of it right now.
29. still couldn't grow a beard if my life depended on it, which crushes any hope of one day being a lumberjack.
30. have amassed an inordinate amount of music trivia knowledge. Now if only Rock'n'Roll Jeopardy would come back on the air.
I wish you were paid more too. You have an important vocation and deserve more.
I used to feel quite inadequate for my lack of interest and knowledge about cars. Its one of my dad's three passions: church, sports, cars. I was just beginning to get a little more comfortable about working on my car (even changed out a water pump) when the ultimate in humiliation happened to me. I could not change a flat tire that happened at my own house. So I had to call a wrecker. The nuts were rounded and none of my tools could clamp down tight enough for a sufficient grip. That's my alibi anyway. Fortunately, all cars are now so high tech, with computers and everything, that no person except the enthusiasts who make it their way of life and who amass a wealth of tools can hope to do their own repairs and upkeep.
For many people, a car is an extension of their personal identity. For me and probably for you, it is mostly just a tool that enables other aspects of our lives we value more.
To this day... your knowledge of band/album/song/record label/year of release, etc.... well, frankly it just scares me. Welcome to your 30's. It's not as bad as I thought either. 31's actually quite nice as well.
Do you remember the gadget advertised a few years ago--I think through a cell phone company--where you could look up a song for which you didn't know the title or the artist just by punching in a few words to the song? As ridiculous as it seemed to me at the time, maybe I should've started up a similar service. Of course, I don't really want people calling me at 4:00 am to ask about song titles.