In My 30s

With my 32nd birthday approaching next week I can say I'm really in my thirties. I remember just starting out at my first job at age 22 and having my boss say to me that her 30's were her favorite time because she finally new what she was happy doing and felt sure of herself. Of course that was a different time when people usually kept the same job for years working their way up in one company. The ironic thing is that me and my boss had both been laid off at the same time 2 years later. I have no idea what she is doing now but I'm wondering if she feels different about what she said.

At almost 32 I still don't know what I want to do. At 22 I did. But 10 years later as the job market has changed, I'm married, own an apartment, have a baby on the way, "what do you want to do" is still a question for me that is asked of 5 year olds. I think many people my age feel the same way and wonder whether they should quit and start over. Maybe go back to school, move to another state, travel the world, start a family, start their own business, etc. So I thought it was interesting to read the New York magazine cover story from the July 12, 2010 issue called "All Joy And No Fun. Why Parents Hate Parenting." The thing that resonated with me the most was the point that many people feel unhappy with being a parent because they are starting later in life (30's early 40's) and in turn have started living their life the way they want and now need to make sacrifices for their new family and they can't find happiness the same way they did without a child. There are of course moments of happiness with having a child but not the same way you would find happiness with getting recognized with a promotion at work or the freedom of getting last minute drinks with girlfriends. The freedom is gone but does that mean there really is no joy?

I am excited and anxious to see how the next year of my life plays out and welcome all the challenges and changes that come my way. Although I have been thrown curve balls with losing my job, my husband losing his job and then going back to school, having a baby 2 years later than expected, I plan on making the most of it. Maybe when I'm 40 I'll be the same way my boss was and say that my thirties were my favorite time.