Last day being a twenty-something

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday. While on one hand I feel I can greet the day with a firm handshake and say "this is just like any other year, I'm ready and excited to be at this point in my life", the other hand wants to slap 30 in the face and say "Nay, sir, we wish to stay young". Because there is something about being a twenty-something that really makes you feel young. I can think "my, how time flies" and "look how quickly my boys are growing", but I can also think "well at least I am still young". But something about being thirty makes me feel I am no longer entitled to be considered young. Certainly, thirty is not as old as it was historically, but it's definitely grown up. And while I can't deny I am indeed a grown up, I can also no longer deny that we have but one youth to live and I'm a little sad to know I can never go back, only forward. Fortunately I realize that age is little more than a number; a label to quantify time, and that my body and spirit can remain youthful and adventurous to a certain extent...its just hard not to feel ever so mournful to need to attach the label thirty to my identity. I thought that one way to help me to not feel as though my life is just slipping away from me as time flows every faster is to remind myself that I in fact have fully enjoyed being a twenty-something, and not once wished the time away. This has been a very full decade and I think it is worth taking the time to remind myself of just how much has happened in ten long years...so that I can be hopeful that the next ten will be just as full and glorious.

Education

• Graduated college with a B.S. in biology and a minor in biochemistry
• Earned a M.Sc. in Conservation biology with distinction
• French classes at the Language Exchange

Jobs

• Science jobs: several years in a developmental biology lab, work as a salt marsh ecologist at Rachel Carson NWR
• Teaching jobs: long term high school biology substitute teacher, environmental educator and volunteer coordinator at Wolfe's Neck Farm
• Other: barista at various coffee shops, waitress at a classy restaurant, on a farm for several growing seasons, dog walker and pet sitter

Volunteer Work

• Art Museum in Connecticut
• Animal Behavior Field Assistant in college (woodchucks)
• Ecology Field Assitant in grad school (newts)
• Center for Wildlife

Travel

• Japan (3 weeks, selected for an all expense paid internship, went to Toykyo, Kyoto, Kamakura, Minobu and more)
• Canada (Prince Edward Island twice, Montreal once)
• England (lived in Canterbury for a year for grad school)
• Ireland (Dublin and countryside)
• France (Paris)
• Netherlands (celebrated New Years Eve in Dam Square in Amsterdam)
• Indonesia (spend 5 weeks in Sumatra for my grad school dissertation about elephant ecology)
• USA (San Francisco, New York City, Wisconsin, places in New England of course)

Skills/Hobbies

• Started taking Iyengar yoga at age 20 and have continued ever since
• Ballroom dancing and swing dancing for several years with Robbie
• Horseback riding (part of the equestrian club in England then with friends back in the US)
• Permaculture/gardening 
• Crocheting and knitting
• Drawing and Painting
• Hiking
• Snowshoing
• Making music (playing clarinet in college and now at home, have been learning guitar on my own)
• Biking and Running
• Reading
• Writing
• Cooking (baking, bread making, cheese making, all sorts!)

Milestones 

• Got married (age 22)
• Bought our first home
• Have/had three beautiful kitties
• I birthed two beautiful boys and have been a stay at home mother loving them and learning alongside them every minute of everyday

There, that was satisfying.

To Mattimeo and Link: when I became a mom, things slowed down for me. My once, fast paced and ambitious lifestyle suddenly became devoted to you two. To be honest, I have never been happier as I am now. My days are still full of learning and exploring. I constantly have a handful of projects at hand that utilize my creativity and/or love of nature and the outdoors. But most importantly my days are full of being present with you and loving you and teaching you. Sometimes I miss doing all sorts of geeky biology stuff and I worry that I will forget all the things I worked so hard to learn and gain experience in, but I remind myself that I can still do those things and not to fear. My part in all that isn't over yet, this is just where I am now and I am certain I am happier than I would have been if I had chosen to keep trying to pursue a PhD. Thank you for all that you've taught me so far and for all that we will learn together in the years to come.

So even though it feels like another decade just flew by, looking back, SOOO much has happened. I have seen many places, learned many skills, and have experienced so many things. I don't feel like life is passing me by. And I have high hopes for the next decade:

• Iyenger yoga teaching certification
• Write a novel
• Homeschooling the boys
• Get back into the field of conservation and ecology through volunteer work or more
• Help our family be more involved in the community to make a positive difference in the lives of others
• More permaculture! 
• See more of the world! 
• Try to spend more time with family (if they make time for me too)
• Help to deepen the friendships I have now

So while saying goodbye to being a twenty-something does not come with a little saddness, it also comes with a lot of gratitude for where I am in my life right now, and a lot of excitement for what adventures the future might hold.