The inevitable is about to happen. In just a couple days, I will say goodbye to my “twenties” as I move forward to the next decade of my life. Recently, I have somewhat joking about this birthday, calling it “29 Part 2” instead of its more common name. While this has been what most people are calling a coping method, I believe it has become more than that.
Why do we often see age-decades as significant? Does one day really make much of a difference? Even more intriguing is how those decades are typically perceived from each point-of-view. For instance, a person who is 19 may be upset they are soon going to lose the youth of their teenage years. However, others might see him or her as a more mature person, now that he or she is 20-something. The same could be said for me, as I begin my fourth decade of life. I was talking to a friend the other day, who said those he works with view him completely different now that he is in his thirties. No longer do they see him as “someone who doesn’t know much because he is only twenty-something.” Instead, he is wise and knowledgeable about his job. Apparently, that was not the case the day before his 30th birthday, but as soon as the clock struck midnight, things changed considerably.
While I do not know what my thirties will hold exactly, I will continue to refer to myself as 29 Part 2 — not because I am clinging hopelessly to my youth, but because I truly believe that age is only a number. (I just need to make sure I don’t fall into the trap of movie “sequelitis.”) It is all about how you feel. I do not feel as if I am getting older, so therefore, I refuse to act “old.” Why should certain things happen when you move in your thirties? That makes no sense to me. Sure, I understand I need to grow in wisdom and maturity, but I reject the notion of becoming old. No matter what my age might be as a number, that is what it will remain — a number. In my mind, I will remain in my twenties… or maybe even as an older teenager, for that matter.
Steve Cullum 