Guess I can no longer refer to myself as a 'twenty-something' eh?
I always have a moment to reflect around my birthday but as this was the big Three Oh and the postpartum hormones were going strong, this was an even bigger reflection than normal. A few notes from my thirtieth birthday:
~ I feel very lucky to be able to say that I wouldn’t change anything about my twenties (aside from perhaps Covid). There were many anxieties and learning curves along the way but I wouldn’t change the opportunities, experiences and people it brought me for one second. What springs to mind when I think of the last decade: those intense but magical years at university and taking the tentative first steps into the adult world, working and falling in love in London, the privilege of travelling to some amazing places, the gorgeous years we spent in St Albans, getting-married-buying-a-house-having-a-baby, learning a lot about who I am and what makes me happy, having some all-round cracking times with family and friends, old and new.
~ I am so grateful I started my blog aged 23. Having the memories of my twenties so well documented is priceless. Whether it continues via the blog or some other format, I endeavour to do the same for my thirties.
~ I doubt I really had an idea of what I wanted from the decade ahead when I turned 20 years old at university but I’m almost certain I wasn’t expecting to meet my future husband just two and a half years later. Meeting Gary definitely changed the path I was heading down and whilst I’ll never know where I would have gone if we hadn’t gone for a drink in a crappy pub on Great Portland Street, I have no desire to know either. I’m so bloody happy we went for that drink and have spent the last seven years having a whole host of adventures together. He is, without a doubt, the best decision I could have made in my twenties.
~ Getting older is a privilege (as they say; it’s better than the alternative). It’s also exciting. Knowing yourself better and being a little wiser to the world has so many advantages. There are many good days yet to come.
~ I spent my 30th birthday surrounded by my favourite people and that is the best way to spend life.
~ Generous gifts on my 30th included a bread machine, gorgeous hand-painted bowls, book vouchers, a huge box of chocolates, pyjamas, bath goodies, nail vouchers and a Le Creuset pan. I am content with everything these things say about me.
~ The little joys are a huge part of that elusive key to happiness. It’s spouted so much that it starts to sound like a cliché but when the truth of it clicks in your brain, it feels like an epiphany. I have believed it for a long time (my very first blog post was a list of small, happy things) but it has taken a big chunk of my twenties to feel the power of it. Find the little joys in the everyday, get excited about them, take the time for them and life will be ultimately better.
~ Key things that bring me joy: my family & friends, writing, reading, baking & cooking, taking photos, documenting memories, exploring new places, being organised, cafés & pubs, baths, the seasons changing, home.
~ If something makes you happy, however big or small, for however long; throw yourself into it with no limits. If someone sneers at your thing, question why they would want to pull away something that brings you joy and what kind of person that makes them.
~ Less is more so much of the time. Trying to have too much of something or to always be after more can make you desensitised and accidentally greedy. It’s better to appreciate what you have and fully enjoy new things and experiences then being both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by too much of everything.
~ Never underestimate kindness; being kind to others and the underrated joy of being surrounded by kind people.
~ I don’t know what the next decade will bring and I’m okay with that. The open possibilities are exciting.
~ Never, ever miss the opportunity to eat something delicious. Life really is too fucking short.
~ Rounding off my twenties by having a baby feels very poignant. Starting off the new decade with a new life chapter and hoping it will be just as good as the last.
A small handful of photos from my birthday below. We had a big family meal the night before, I was treated to presents and breakfast in bed (a very delicious bacon, cream cheese & honey bagel) in the morning and then we had a tea party with my immediate family & close friends in the afternoon which was also an opportunity for everyone to meet our new baby boy. I couldn't have asked for a more lovely weekend.
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