You know you’re 30 when…

You know you’re 30 when…

You leave your coffee in the car and your 18 month old crawls in and waters your seat with it… for the second time that week.

You look down at your gut and say, “oh well.”

You’re doing yard work on Saturday mornings instead of sleeping in.

You complain about “music now of days.”

You see yourself a beacon of advice to younger generations.

You have to ask yourself, “Was that a shirt or a dress?”

You skip showering once a week because can… or because you don’t care.

Your vacations involve less adventure and more Mickey Mouse ears.

You carry a diaper bag more than a gym bag.

Your still wondering why you’re here.

 In all seriousness, I turned 30 today, and liked it. 

Turning 30 has given me the opportunity to reflect back on a great decade gone by.  In my 20’s, I finished school and started a career.  I moved out of mom’s house, married a gorgeous woman, and helped make a place in this world for two beautiful boys.  I bought my first computer, first car, and first home.  I took a cruise, lived in three states, and made friends from Poland to Japan.  I tried becoming a writer, a church planter, an investor and disc golfer – and although failing at all four, I couldn’t be prouder of the risks I’ve taken. 

Although the decade ahead will undoubtedly prove less eventful, I don’t think it will be any less rich in meaning.  In my 30’s, I’ll coach my first soccer team, help my first son finish grade school, and… add my first daughter to the family?  I’ll make a second run at church planting and my first run at becoming an artist.  My first computer will crash, my first car will get junked, and I’ll probably sell my first home.   Maybe I’ll get to take the trip to Venice I’ve been dreaming about?  I’ll be able to grow my first beard and figure out what I want to be when I grow up.  Most of all, I’m looking forward to growing a little older, and a little more mature, in my marriage with Melissa.  The beauties of living life with another and knowing her through and through is more settling and fulfilling than anything else I anticipate accomplishing this decade.

Cheers to all the 30-Somethings out there.

Special thanks to Mom for making this day possible.