WaRpEd & TwIsTeD

10 years ago, I have always wondered how it was to be in my thirties. Just about ready to face the world at that time, I always thought that when someone reaches the age of 30, one is already old, as in "Matanda ka na!!". During that time, I thought that when one reaches  30, things become corny, because you are sort-of-required to be settled, cranky, old, and stiff like a piece of dry, fragile driftwood. In short, 10 years ago I thought that the fun and happiness of youth ends when one enters the 30-something-phase. Until November 19, 2007 came…
   

 
Yes. I celebrated my 30th birthday a week ago. For a change, I celebrated my birthday outside the country (well at least about 15hrs of it). This was my birthday gift to myself, a memorable birthday gift to myself. It was special because it meant a lot for me. For one, it was the first time I travelled abroad wherein I didn’t ask my parents to shoulder my expenses. It was a trip whose funding was 100% shouldered by me (airfare, accommodation, even pocketmoney). I was saving for it since April this year. Second, after 5 years, I was able to travel abroad again. The last 5 years had been a struggle for me, in terms of career advancement, personal, and family life. The trip was a respite from all the struggles I had in the last five years. It celebrated my "rising from the ashes". Lastly, that trip signified the transition I went through in the last 10 years, a transition that can be compared to the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to become a butterfly.
   

 
Now that I have stepped on the 30-something-stage, I can say that it is not bad after all. I may have gone through several battles and challenges in my life. These battles may have left scars that would always remind me of past failures and disappointments. But I chose not to view them that way. Entering the 30-something-stage have taught me that things can always be viewed from a different perspective. That scars from the past can be viewed as markings of maturity, and an opportunity to rise and evolve. Entering this stage made me see that happiness and satisfaction can be achieved by cherishing what I have, and by taking things one day at a time. I may have made infamous decisions in the past, that will have repercussions in the present and future. But hey, what’s the use of dwelling in the past? Why not savor the present, enjoy "both worlds" (my close friends and family know what this "both worlds" mean), and look forward to a better future?

As I breathed my first air on my 30th bday, I thought of everything that happened in my past 30 years… and I say, "life begins at 30…"..

~ by altered-aura on November 25, 2007.