Last October I turned 30. I’ve heard it’s supposed to be a life changing earth shattering experience. Since then I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve noticed about maturing to the ripe old age of thirty. Some of them differ greatly from the preconceived notions I had in my head. I think I should share them with you before I turn 31.

1. I still feel very young, in my mind at least.

2. My body definitely feels older, my joints make loud noises during physical activity and my body parts just generally ache more.

3. I feel as though I know myself so much better, I think I’ve figured out what kind of person I’d like to be from a personal standpoint.

4. I still don’t have it all figured out careerwise.

5. I stay home more often and I like it.

6. There are still lots of fetes, parties and other social events where people my age can have an excellent time and not be around teenyboppers.

7. My expectations of where I’d be at 30 may have been a little unrealistic.

8. I’d much rather get five friends together and have a gathering at my home on a Friday night than be out on the town.

9. I have more acquaintances and less people I consider true friends, but my friends are closer than they ever were.

10. I have grown closer to some of my friends and further away from others. This is ok, it’s part of life.

11. I’m not afraid to state my opinion.

12. I’m not afraid to be myself.

13. I’ve started to learn my worth. Emphasis on started. It’s a process.

14. Peer pressure has no effect on me.

15. I’ve started to realize that as I get older, so do my parents. The thought of that scares me a little.

16. I’m developing laugh lines.

17. The clothing styles and brands that once appealed to me don’t. I now think about what is “age appropriate”.

18. I buy less trendy cheap clothes and want to go for the more timeless staple pieces.

19. I’m a real grown up now. Sometimes I still don’t believe it.

20. Investing for the future has become much more important.

21. There are a lot of weddings, baby showers and christenings on my social calendar.

22. I’m literally becoming my mother before my very own eyes.

23.  Exploring places, creating memories and spending quality time with my husband and family are my favourite things.

24. When I was younger I got bored more often, always needing an activity to fill my time. Now I’m much better at the art of doing nothing.

25.  I truly feel learning from the mistakes I made in my past relationships  has helped me better the relationships I have now, with my husband and my friends.

26.  It has just started to occur to me that while growing up, when I spent weeks in the summers ramping with my brother and cousins, my parents must’ve been having a ball.

27. When I was younger I was more concerned with fitting into the group. Now I like being an individual.

28. I’m still getting used to the fact that I’m in charge of a household. Hasn’t sunken in fully yet.

29. While some things have changed about me, I’m the same at the core, just a wiser older me, like wine. At least that’s what I think. These are after all MY observations.

30. Thirty isn’t nearly as bad as they make it seem. I’ve had quite a wonderful year. Wonder if I’ll like 31.

What did you notice about yourself after 30 and beyond? Leave a comment and let me know.