Why I’ve fallen deeply in love with my late 20s

When I was nineteen and hopelessly, romantically naive I thought that thirty was the finishing line of life.  Of course, now that I am comfortably nestled in my latter-20s I want to hug that younger version of myself and say, “Oh Starfish, you are so adorably wrong; thirty is just the beginning!” Your 20s are absolutely great.  There is no arguing that fact.  But they can also prove a long, if not occasionally exhausting process of finding out who you are…and who you aren’t.  By the time your 20s begin to dwindle you find yourself in this beautiful stage of self-acceptance as you enjoy a few of these undeniable perks: 1) You have learned through trial and error a few of the things that you do and do not enjoy in life.  Maybe you dance like Beyoncé and the club is your home.  Maybe your dream night is spent at home reconnecting with Emily Bronte.  Hey, maybe you jump out of planes for kicks.  To each their own.  You just do you! 2) Your friendships are deeper.  The ever-changing post college years of moving and working have a way of rooting out surface friendships and leaving you with the few rich and meaningful relationships that you rely on.  Spare time becomes more precious and you are only willing to share what little remains with those you truly love. 3) You know what you want to do when you grow up!  Or at the very least, you’ve discovered what you don’t want and you’re working toward something better. 4) Your home is your castle.  Regardless of if it’s a room, an apartment, townhouse, loft or perhaps even an actual castle, you have nested in that place and it is your personal oasis filled with soft blankets, Netflix and an endless sea of glittered candles.  And you are in love with this place! Suddenly dinner parties in your home sound way better than going out. 5) It gets monumentally easier to ask for what you want.  It also helps that it’s now easier to actually know what you want (because that is a struggle for most of us when we’re younger). But now you have no problem taking some initiative and seizing what you desire, because… 6) You are more comfortable with you!  Sure, you will always be your own fiercest critic, but you find it easier now to love yourself and give yourself a break.  You can see yourself a bit more objectively and appreciate (and dare I even say LOVE) the person you are because you’ve been fighting for her for years. When I was nineteen and filled with the dread of aging I had no idea the incredible life that was going to move me to that big 3-0.  And now older, wiser and a lot more blunt I cannot wait to see what this next phase holds.  Because it all just keeps getting better. Images via.