Two months til 30!

In exactly two months, I will turn 30. Apparently there are all kinds of things one is supposed to have learned by this age. While I’m not there quite yet, I have learned a few things over the years (and by years, I mean by reflecting while writing this blog). A few weeks after I started blogging, I began to pay attention to statistics on who exactly was reading this thing. I started noticing that my most popular posts were the ones where I revealed personal information. When I discussed my new job or when I talked about my new relationship, it resonated with people. That makes sense because most of the folks who read this are people I have a personal relationship with. But it also makes sense because people want to connect. They want to be involved in your world.

So, what else have I learned? I’ve learned that sometimes it doesn’t look like you thought it would look like. This is true in a variety of things. For example, I was recently sharing with a couple girlfriends about how when my boyfriend asked me out on a date, it didn’t look like I expected. My first instinct was to say “no” because it didn’t look like I thought it would. What a mistake that would’ve been. I’m so grateful that I didn’t let my preconceived notions about “how it should be” keep me from this wonderful relationship. Another thing that certainly doesn’t look how I thought it would is my career. In the five short years since law school, I’ve had a few different jobs, gone back to school for an LL.M. and have finally landed in a job that I am passionate about and challenged by. I could not have guessed where I’d end up. And I can’t begin to guess where I’ll be in another five years. But I’m so glad I’m here.

The importance of surrounding yourself with people who will speak into your life is something that I never really thought about until fairly recently. What do I mean by “speak into your life?” Well, I mean people who will not only support you but will believe in you and will challenge you to become a better person. I’m blessed in that I have a wonderful network of people doing just that.

Finally, I’ve learned that at a certain point, you have to grow up, stop taking your family for granted and appreciate them for who they are. I recently attended my grandfather’s 85^th birthday celebration and it was humbling to see so many people celebrating his life and how he has impacted them. It also reminded me that I need to be better about being intentional in connecting with my family.

As I move closer to the big birthday and continue to learn about life, learn about myself and the world, I’m excited to see what the next decade of life has in store for me.