A Look at Thirty

There have been a lot of articles written and parodies scripted recently about being 30…From the Taylor Swift “22” parody, OliviaWilde’s manifesto or the You Tube clip comparing girls in their 20s to their 30s…I can’t help but feel that I can relate.  That or I have just started paying more attention. 

I am prominently in my thirties; and whether it is the age, the married life or some other unknown, here are a few changes and observations about my current age bracket:

The biggest area of change relates to my wardrobe.  Getting dressed in the morning, and for that matter, getting dressed for a night out, has been significantly “streamlined.”  The daily routine that used to include trying on everything in the closet to find “that perfect look that would make me look just right” now consists of me grabbing the most comfortable cloths I can find that are semi-clean and can pass for work and/or bar appropriate.   As I write-this, I am wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, puffy vest and toms shoes on my way into work.   If I was completely honest, most days I look like a middle age woman who has just given up; on good days, I might be worthy of an LL Bean catalog spread. My favorite loafers and oversized sweater would make my twenty-year old self cringe.   Now, my thirty year old self gets goose bumps just looking at the skin tight tops and extra short skirts today’s twenty year olds wear out in the middle of winter like it was spring break.

While I have seen a decrease in time spent in front of the mirror getting dressed, I have seen a similar increase in time on my beauty routine.  What used to take a tinted moisturize and some mascara now requires the equivalent of spackle, primer, base coat and top coat.  My daily beauty routine is the equivalent of painting the Mona Lisa just to get back the baseline youthful glow.     

My preference of a crazy Friday night has changed considerably as well.  I remember standing in a crowded bar in my late twenties having the time of my life and feeling sorry for the middle aged LL Bean models for their sad night of drinking wine in the corner and looking generally pissed off at the loud music and lack of attention from men.  But ah, the insights gained in just a few years are invaluable.   I am now that woman sitting in the corner catching up with friends, feeling sorry for the young girls with too much makeup, not enough clothing, having to suck in their beer guts while attempting to attract a guy to buy the next round…were they even having fun or was that all a ploy to fill the massive gap in their lives of being single and having to try each and every night.  Silly twenty year olds!

As a disclaimer, I still every once in a while get dressed up and pretend like I still “got it” but deep down I am dreaming of my sweatpants, the couch, bottle of wine and some soft cheese… and thankful I have the choice.

With my wardrobe looking shabby and most evenings spent moisturizing my face, at least my finances are in order.   I have not one or two but multiple lawyers and financial advisers that I can turn to in need.  In the past year I have engaged with a property lawyer, immigration lawyer and estate planner/tax lawyer.  And even better I have two close friends that I actually trust as financial advisers.  In contrast, in my twenties, I tried to avoid the need for a lawyer (aka cops and jail time) and financial advice was given on a barstool and typically consisted of “is it more economical to have two beers for the price of one or one strong cocktail?”

Like fine wine and stinky cheese, my taste buds have also matured with age.  My dinners use to consistent of whatever bar had the best happy hour:  $2 coronas and $1 tacos, yes please!  Free pizza with a beer and shot of Jameson… dinner is on me!  But these days, with the weight gain and heartburn inevitable, I at least want my food to be worth the extra hours at the gym.  I now spend more on good food than alcohol, clothing and entertainment combined (which I guess isn’t that hard given my new wardrobe and the frequency of big nights out).    This crazy food revelation that everyone is talking about…I am sure no one in their twenties knows or cares about it…and the ones that are talking about it are all in their thirties who have finally realized that Taco Bell at 1am is not fine dining.  Apparently, good food has always been in style and available.  My generation has just finally wised up and stopped accepting anything less. 

And more than anything else, I think the biggest change isn’t the wardrobe, fiscal responsibility or social calendar, but rather that life seems somehow less simple, albeit more stable and rewarding.  That big project at work: back then, I had someone to review everything I did to make sure it was right; I am now that person (and I actually know what I am doing)…getting together with friends last minute on a Tuesday night in your twenties was not a problem (the alternative was sitting at home doing laundry); now it takes a minor miracle to coordinate schedules, babysitters, travels, etc (but the quality of those get togethers is exponentially greater)…and a late night stop at pizza after three pitchers of beer, sure not a problem! Back then, there were no consequences…now it takes weeks at the gym and includes a night of heartburn and a three day hangover – no thanks, just get me a glass of merlot (my arteries and liver are thankful to have made it this far).

From thirty three and looking back at my twenties, I would say it has been one crazy ride and I wouldn’t change it for the world!... I can only imagine the insights I will have gained by 40!