ALONG COMES MARY

I am still afew years away from my 30th birthday. Yet, there seems to be alot of focus on that year for women, & the older I get, I can understand why; its a goodbye to your 20’s, which alot of people view as your soul-searching decade….the 10 years you can go from still getting away with acting like a kid to when you begin to plant the seeds for your future. So much seems to be expected of women in their 20s, & alot of us experience many changes in that era. Some of my good friends who have hit the 30 mark have already wed, started a family, wed & divorced, began their career, lost their job, have dealt with un-wanted pregnancies & handled many other life changing incidents.

Since my last birthday, I have found myself falling into cliches of women that I never thought I would…whether it be not quick to announce my age, fudging on my age (more as a joke…I hope?!), thinking of myself as a Cougar if I flirt with a younger guy or quipping, “God, you’re young!” when someone tells me they’re 18 or 20. I have been thinking alot more about things, too….Mary+thinking=not always a good thing! But, there have been some changes in my life & my family’s these past few years…my Aunt suddenly passed away at only 61, my Mother got quite ill, I have had some health issues & of course, I moved from a somewhat isolated life to life in LA.
I think the death of my Aunt reminded me how short life is, & I took many trips down memory lane as my Aunt was the photographer of the family; I even asked my Mom recently, why didn’t you take more pictures of me growing up?! & she said its because she knew Aunt Jo Anne was doing so, she even took all the photos for my parents wedding. With all her belongings being scattered & given among the family, I have received dozens upon dozens of photographs of my youth; from my Mother holding me after giving birth to me, my 1st Birthday, to trips to Disneyland & random days at her home, she truly did chronicle my childhood & its reminded me how precious it is to take pictures to recall your memories.

As I have gotten older, I also have such a better appreciation for what everybody goes through in life….things that have been hard for me to deal with, I find comfort when I look around me & see I am not the only one struggling. If anything, I am super lucky & blessed & am shown how great my life is when I see what so many people I care about are going through & have overcome.

Recently, when I was waiting to use the internet to print something at the library (perhaps that should be on my to-do list before I am 30: get my own printer??), I came across an article in a womens magazine: 30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30. It got me thinking about writing this post, so I tore out the article for reference (Shhhh…). You can read it at this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/turning-30-30-things-every-woman-should-have-and-should-know_n_1447368.html
Most of it, is great advice & I think I already have some of the tips down. It also got me thinking, should I make a bucket list for the things to do before I am 30?! It could be fun. Some things I know I want to accomplish are….visit more of the 50 states, get back to NYC & pay $25 to climb the top of The Empire State Building (But….anybody have any coupons so I really don’t have to pay $25?!??), visit more of my friends who are not local & I don’t see enough, get back involved more with theatre, own a dog, meet more people & new friends, make more money, help more people, volunteer more & stay healthy:)

I think 30 shows you you’re not immortal…I already am feeling that, so I know I will only think that more by 30.
What is on your to-do list before 30? Or, if you’re 30 or over, what do you think you have learned along the way? Please share with me! xo

Baby Mary at her 1st Birthday Soiree….