Tomorrow, much as I may deny it, I turn 30 years old.
My 20’s seemed to have gone by in a flash, and maybe now I’m in my third decade (ew) I’ll act more grown-up and stop trying to pretend I’m younger, or maybe not. My 20’s were a wild few years. I got a degree, thought I had my life together, bought a flat, had my heartbroken, sold a flat, moved back into my parents, started a career, got made redundant a few times, bought a flat, lived on my own, became a landlord, started my own business, met a man on the internet, became a stepmother, became a mother, got some cats, and booked a wedding. It’s been quite eventful at times!
Here are 30 things I learnt before I turned 30.
1. You don’t need to have loads of different friends, but having a few close friends is all you need
2. There are very few things in life that can’t be solved by moaning to your friends
3. Time spent with my friends laughing is the best
4. Your friends can be the biggest supporters you need
5. Don’t waste time on friends that you have to always put the effort in for, or make you feel unhappy
6. Losing a friend to cancer is one of the most devastating things
7. Grief is an incredibly strange process, and definitely changes you
8. Heartbreak is one of the hardest things I’ve been through
9. But becoming single for the first time in 10 years is actually a welcome break
10. And being single is much better than being in an unhappy relationship
11. Online dating can be a barrel of laughs
12. It can also be frustrating
13. But you can meet some great people online, who aren’t actually serial killers
14. And sometimes dates you go on can leave you smiling and wanting to see them again
15. Not all men called Chris are worth avoiding
16. A relationship with someone who makes you laugh is the best
17. And sometimes things can move a lot quicker than you thought they would
18. Dating someone who already has a child might be scary
19. But I would honestly not change a thing about becoming a stepmother
20. Because getting to know my stepson and become his friend, has been the greatest thing
21. Pregnancy was not the enjoyable experience I thought it would be
22. But seeing my baby moving around during scans was the most amazing thing
23. And labour really wasn’t as bad as everyone said it would be
24. When I first laid eyes on Ivy when she was born was the greatest moment of my life
25. Motherhood can be one of the loneliest times of your life, and no one prepares you for that
26. But mum friends are some of the greatest types of friends you could have
27. Anxiety can be incredibly overwhelming
28. But talking about the thoughts in your head helps
29. And it’s absolutely okay to ask for help
30. Despite all the ups and downs, I wouldn’t change a thing about the last 30 years
