I have to take a quick minute and admit that I LOVE being in my thirties.

I was a little bit worried as my 30th birthday approached, but now that I’m several years into this, I can whole heartedly admit that I love my thirties.

My twenties were a time of transition.

My twenties were great, my tummy was nice and flat,  my smile lines weren’t permanent, but let’s be honest, there was a lot of figuring life out.

Sure I’m still figuring life out one hour at a time, but I feel more equipped to handle things. 

Now that I’m in my thirties, I feel like it’s ok to just be me.

It’s ok to admit that I am not perfect, and never will be, but that I am working (slowly) to improve myself.

It’s ok to admit that there are some things I really really like, and some things I just don’t (like mushrooms, they’re basically little pieces of death).

It’s ok to admit that there are situations I just don’t want to put myself in, and instead of justifying it, admitting that I just do not enjoy them is a perfectly acceptable response.

It’s ok to admit that there are days that are just crummy. Not every day has to be “the best day”, life can be difficult and boring, and that’s ok!

I feel like now it is ok to admit that I have some talents, that I will get things done, and that I view myself as a semi capable person.

I feel a little bit more free to admit that some people, activities, or situations just aren’t worth the time and effort they suck from you. It’s ok to walk away, fade, or try something new. This is huge… admitting that I cannot succeed at everything… well this was a huge aha moment.

Thirty was a time to admit that there are some things I like about myself. I like the organization (well what there is), I like my brown hair, and I like sarcastic comments. My thirties have been freeing in the sense that I can freely admit that I like these things, even if other people don’t It’s been great to stop caring what other people think about certain things.

My thirties has been a time to give other people the benefit of the doubt. I’m not always the nicest… I know that shocks… no one. I jump to incorrect conclusions, but these last few years I’ve started to tell myself that I don’t know everyone’s situation,and that I can’t judge them based only on the limited information I have. Clearly I’m still working on this one.

This has been the decade where I admit that not everyone likes me and not everyone is going to… and that’s ok. I’m still working on this one, pretty sure I am going to continue to work on that into my nineties. But this has been the decade where I try and take the snooty looks and whispers a little bit less personally. It’s hard, but I’m improving.

And this is the decade where I get to admit that there are some “life goals” that I can look back on and check off the list. I’ve gone to college, Check! Graduate School, Check! Gotten Married, Check! Lived in NYC, Check!, Had kids, Check! Bought our first house, Check! Some things have been done, as we move into this next phase of life we have some experience behind us.

It’s crazy.

Seriously, if someone told me that my thirties were going to be this awesome, I would have been in a hurry to get through my twenties.