I know that my title isn’t technically an alliteration but do you know how difficult it is to find X words?
I thought of writing about Xanthic X-men. Xanthic means yellowish, so I was going to write about wondering why the movie Wolverine doesn’t wear the comic book yellow costume, but even though I love X-Men and fell in love with the movie Wolverine, it’s just not a topic that’s right for me. My fellow A-Zer Mark, who runs Left and Write, would be so much better at it, his A-Z theme being obscure comic book characters.
This blog is not about triple X rated films, so don’t panic, okay. Neither is it about the film starring Vin Diesel. I haven’t seen either one. Rather, the title pertains to Roman numerals – 30. My age right now. I do think I have been clever about using X, if I do say so myself. LOL.
Anyway. 30. Around this time last year, I was depressed about the fact that I was about to turn 30. I even blogged about it in a title that I could have used for T day in this challenge: Turning Thirty.
The title on the calendar sounds familiar because it came from the movie 13 Going on 30 and I chose it because 2012 is the year I turn the big 3-0. Ugh. Turning 30 is a big deal, maybe because it’s a completely new digit. When you’re in your twenties you’re considered young, but thirties? Nope. That’s why turning thirty is a scary thought, one that freaks me out in a “I must put on tons of age-defying products on my face now panic panic panic” and “Where did my youth go???? Why yesterday I was just joining the workforce!!!!” and “What am I doing with my life???” and “Omigod I’m 30 and I am still not on the right path!!!” kind of way. I’m not kidding when I say that it seriously makes me panic at times, keeps me up some nights, adding to the age lines that I am so afraid of. (OMG is that a wrinkle???) It’s funny because I never felt that I was getting older till the moment I turned 29 when I realized I was one year away from being OLD. That’s when it hit me.
I was seriously depressed about this almost all of last year, no kidding. There were countless bouts of crying in bed and just a general sadness and dread that permeated my entire being as I dragged myself through life while being in an existential crisis.
I wasn’t alone in reacting like this. I had friends who went through the same thing too. And who can forget that hilarious Friends episode, The One Where They All Turn Thirty?
In that episode, Rachel turns 30 and she doesn’t feel happy about it. Joey says, “Come on, Rach, turning thirty’s not that big a deal.” Ross looks at him and sarcastically asks, “Oh really, is that how you felt when you turned thirty?”
A flashback to that moment. All the friends are gathered around Joey about to blow the candles on his cake as he looks up and wails, “Why God, WHY? We had a deal, let the others grow old, not me.” He then sobs into Phoebe.
Back to the present, everyone is finally enjoying Rachel’s birthday feast as she asks, “Is it just me? Am I overreacting to this?”
“No, Rach, it’s not just you,” Chandler responds as he cuts through his food. “My thirtieth birthday certainly wasn’t that much fun.”
A flashback to that moment. Chandler is about to blow the candles on his cake when his moment is interrupted by Joey. “And not Chandler!” He wails, continuing his conversation with God. “We’re all getting so old. Why are you doing this to us??”He then sobs into a wall.
No, Rach. It’s definitely not just you.
You can check out that clip here. Still makes me laugh after all these years.
I guess turning a completely new digit older has an effect on people, as I saw on an episode of Modern Family. Cam’s birthday falls on leap day, so he insists that his 40th birthday is actually his 10th. When his partner Mitchell tells him to accept that he is a 40 year old man, the truth hits Cam.
“I’m forty! I’m forty!” he starts crying, leaning against Mitchell for support. “I’ve done nothing with my life!” he screams.
See. It is a thing.
I tried to get over the depression, though, by planning celebrations. I could have gone with just one party like my friend Yves did when it was her turn, but I decided to break it down to different ones for my different sets of friends.
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| Part 1: Hungry Games With office friends @ Botanic Gardens |
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| Part 2: Wine and Candles Intimate dinner at home on the day itself |
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| Part 3: Picnic in the Park With Little Zamboanga friends @ East Coast Park |
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| Part 4: Prive Brunch With the Ramen Girls @ Prive Drive |
I had loads of fun at each event and it took my mind off the horrible fact that I was old. Distraction as a coping method is totally underrated. Then when it was over, I remembered and got depressed again. I can’t remember how long I stayed like this.
Eventually, though, I finally accepted the reality. It helped when I realized that a lot of people I admire are in their thirties and they’re fine, aren’t they? In fact some people didn’t even find success and happiness till they were in their thirties. There are a lot of perks to being older, such as wisdom and wealth. I now understand more and am able to enjoy more things that my younger self couldn’t.
So now I am happy to report that I am now fine with being 30 and I’m back to my old (uh oh… there’s that word again) happy self.
I guess I have 10 more years before that all changes, again.
—;<@
This post is part of the A to Z Challenge, a blog hop that goes through the alphabet for all the days of April except Sundays. I have decided to go with the theme of Alliterations.
you are so not old and certainly still look like a 20-something – would be sooo happy to be 30 again 🙂
I'm glad you've reconciled yourself to thirty! Ah, getting older is a interesting business, isn't it?<br /><br />That Friends episode was great–thanks for the link!
My you know how to party girl! If you've been reading my a-z and I know you have, about being fabulous and fit over fifty you'll realise that age is just a number and its how we feel and what we do that matters. Look at all us fifty pluses still enjoying ourselves .
What a clever idea for X, well done! I will be LX (I think?) in October, so to me you are Young. And pretty.Love your scrapbook pages, that's another of my hobbies…
#0 is not that old… but can understand… I am terrified thinking that I am gonna be 24 this year! Gosh! 24!!!<br />And all those parties looked like fun!
#0=30<br />Sorry for the typo.
What a cleaver xxx. Very creative. You are so funny thinking 30 is old. You are soooo young. I have 2 babies who are still in their 30s… The other 2 are in their 40s. and still looking great…(see pics of my Lynell and Mindy). Besides age gives you a perspective nothing else can. The only birthday I dreaded was 65. That one is a bummer in the USA because for months ahead of time I got
Hilarious! Very clever! Love what you did for your xxx'th. Celebrating with everyone and embracing life is good, after all you've got lots more to go.. Enjoy every moment as time definitely goes quicker as the years go by.. said from a VXII year old.. hmm it's been a while since I wrote in roman numerals so not sure that's written right!
Thirty is a great age! I love all the pictures in this post they're really fabulous. I think really when it comes down to it age is only a number and we're only as old as we feel.. enjoy!
Clever X post, definitely.<br /><br />As for age, it's just a fact of life. I'm coming up on 45 and still feel 30 in many ways, but I work with people in their 20s and 30s and am frequently reminded by the conversation and when they did certain things in their lives: I am old(er). And that's OK. I wouldn't go back to my 20s for anything! There are so many good things about age and
Clever use of xxx… I couldn't wait till I turned 30, I felt as though people would finally take me seriously 🙂 – 40 has turned out to be even better. I know a lot of people dread getting older, but it's the one thing we can count on…
Hey Dee! Happy Birthday! 30 is a great age! What a great post! I wasn't married by 30 and this was just fine with me. So glad you're back to your 🙂 old 🙂 self and may you continue on your way well into much older age with good health and wisdom. Your photographs are lovely and a wonderful expression of you – thank you for sharing them.<br />Clever use of XXX!!!<br /><a href="http://
I love all your different party themes! I want to do this!<br /><br />Ashlee / <a href="http://ashleehaynie.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Ramblings of a Silly Girl</a>
Glad you're back to your (not old) happy self! I bet you get some folks here who are google searching XXX now 😉
I wasn't too bothered about turning 30. It's just every so often, when I realised that I turned 30 in 2009 and I'm going to be 34 in less than 6 months, that I realise that it's only going to be a couple of years before I'm closer to 40 and 30 . . . and THEN I start to freak out!
Haha…nice "X" post and very creative. <br /><br />Don't worry about the future, seriously, I'm 45 and still think 'where am I going?', sometimes. It never gets any easier, so you just have to go with things and enjoy your life. <br /><br />It looks like you have that part covered, anyway 🙂
Love what you did with X and boy did you celebrate 30, wow, such fun parties. <br />I have a lot a trouble with age. My kids want to go all out when I turn 50 (in three short years) I informed them that they know better. I do not celebrate the big ones. But, my mother, who is 82 has been very helpful, here is what she says, "Be happy you are celebrating your birthday because the only
Hey, age is just a state of mind, bit of a cliche but it's true. As long as you are moving forward and making the best of each moment that's all that counts. You definitely celebrated in style!
How about 78? That's my next birthday. The only one that bothered me was 60. Maybe because it sounds OLD. But I didn't feel old. And I still don't. But I don't know that person in the mirror so I live a sort of dual personality life now. I'm just "me" until I look in the mirror. Then I don't know who I am. It gets pretty confusing some days. Mary at <a href="
Sixty was easy for me. Seventy sounds old. When I turned forty and was bemoaning it, a dear friend said to me, "When you're fifty, you'd kill to be forty." He was so right!
I'm going with Nick above that age is a state of mind. My great uncle was an optimist until the day he died. He broke a hip at age 90-something and said, "I'm sure lucky it was my left hip and not my right hip as that would have been real trouble!"<br /><br />It's all perspective and the beautiful thing about perspective is that it's yours–you can change it at will. It
Thanks everyone! I now feel silly for fretting about 30. Lol.
I LOVE that friends episode. And yeah, I hate getting older. 🙁
Modern family is so hilarious! We're a bit behind so we just watched that episode a little while ago. So fun!