30

I adore my girlfriends. I am incredibly lucky to have a network of fun-loving, well-traveled, down-to-earth, beautiful, altruistic, do-anything-for-you friends. But I’ve had enough of their obsessing about turning 30.

My friend, whose 28th birthday is next week, refused to plan a birthday get-together because she was too depressed about turning 30. That’s two years away -- What a terrible excuse to not throw a party!! And as she bemoans the loss of her youth, she forgets I turned 28 earlier this summer….

Another friend, affectionately dubbed “Cougar” recently turned 30. It is impossible to have a conversation with her when she doesn’t reference her age. Up until a couple weeks ago, she would only date older men who have marriage potential, or their “light on”. These were some real characters, none of whom (in my opinion) possessed any long-term potential, short of being over 30. Appropriately enough, she’s now seeing a 25-year-old, who is nicer to her than any of those criteria-meeting older men.

Someone recently mentioned to me that although our bodies go through the physical act of aging, our perception of our “self” doesn’t age as quickly. Which explains why ‘30 is the new 20’ or ‘40 is the new 30’…

Perhaps, next year I'll change my tune about 30, but right now, I'm looking forward to it. My new mantra is that late 20's and early 30's are the greatest years of your life.