So, my thirtieth birthday is this month. Pop culture (and by that I mean the show Friends) suggests that this should bother me–I should go out and pierce something, or get drunk, or have some kind of crisis, all in the name of holding onto my youth.  At the least, I should be crossing out all the things on my list of “things to do before I turn 30” that I have accomplished.

Well, I personally think I have accomplished a lot, but I have no list; I don’t think I really need any more piercings (although, to be honest, I do consider it on occasion–not in the name of youth, but because I think they look cool); I have no crises or drunkenness planned. So where does that leave me?

It leaves me with being 30.  It just doesn’t bother me.  It’s a number–one more than last year; one less than next year.  There *are* things that make me feel older–the idea of never having another baby being the one that makes me feel the oldest.  The few grey hairs I’ve been finding recently–well, they don’t make me feel old, necessarily, but they do make me a bit grumpy.  Same with the worry lines on my forehead.  Those are the things that bother me, but a number? Not so much.

I do think there’s a lot of wisdom in Tim McGraw’s My Next Thirty Years, though.  Not a bad philosophy to live by!

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age

The ending of an era and the turning of a page

Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here

Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun

Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done

Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears

And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores

Cry a little less, laugh a little more

Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear

Figure out just what I’m doing here

In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight

Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late

Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers

Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life

Raise a little family and hang out with my wife

Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear

Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years

In my next thirty years