30

I turned 30 yesterday.

Yesterday was the actual day I closed out my 30th year on the planet. It didn’t feel so bad to me. You see, last year (on the eve of my 29th birthday) I had to actually do the math to make sure I knew my own age. I had it in my head I was turning 30 last year, so I went through my “oh crap, I’m old now and haven’t done anything of any value in the world” hysteria a year early. I finally did the math the night before my birthday, and exclaimed to my wife that I was still young! I have another year before 30! She laughed at me, and we moved on. Fast forward one year and I was able to turn 30 in peace.

But now that I am truly old, I took advantage of the new-found depth of character that only comes with old age. I’ve taken the liberty of reflecting on life while I sit in my rocking chair, smoke my pipe, and yell at the damn long-haird teenagers next door.

In my 30 years I’ve had some wonderful adventures, too many to mention. I’ve had some spectacular failures, too many to count. …and despite my very best efforts to derail it, life’s been good to me so far.

I have a family I love dearly and I have a job that excites me every day. I have a home that’s safe, warm and filled with great memories, and I’m surrounded every day by people who make me happy. There are a million adventures still we have yet to experience, and I’m giddy every time we talk about what’s coming next.

If you’re still reading this, you’re probably my wife or a close friend, so I’d like to take the opportunity to say thank you and I love you. I wouldn’t be worth a hill of beans without you.

To be continued…