Being thirty.
Turning thirty makes one realize how short life is. Last week, when I met with my college buds, our conversation turned to parents and how sad we were about the realization that they were getting older. Turning thirty makes one realize that one's life may very well be half over. It's quite a surprise, really, considering that we've only barely just slipped out of youth. Suddenly there is so little time.
Turning thirty makes one realize that most people don't really change dramatically over the years. At thirty, I'm still plagued by many of the same insecurities I had when I was twenty. Sure, I'm a little bit wiser, a little bit more grounded, a little bit happier, a little less confused. But my mind still gets trapped in some old bad habits, I still find myself with some of the same self-doubt that I had ten years ago.
Turning thirty makes one realize how much of our time is consumed by the mundane. So many hours of the day are spent making a living; even the hours we don't spend making a living are spent recovering from the hours that we do. I'm lucky that my means to make a living is something I love to do and something that fulfills me; many, whether by choice or by circumstance, are not as fortunate.
Turning thirty makes one learn to let go. One realizes that some dreams need to be prioritized over others; that going through one door means closing others. We choose one career path over another, one battle over another, one vocation over another, one person over another, one life over another. And we learn that while choosing and letting go may sometimes be difficult, within it we find serenity.
Turning thirty teaches one to say, "I don't have all the answers. I don't know." The illusion of the omnipotence and omniscience of youth is shattered. We find that there are questions we cannot answer, mysteries we cannot understand, problems we cannot work out. And that it is okay. We learn to make the best of what we have.
Turning thirty, maybe, allows one to rediscover God in a new way. We learn, I think, to be more open. To be more accepting. To be more grateful. We inch just a tiny bit closer to being able to say, "Thy will be done."
Ayos lang. Ayos lang.
Turning thirty makes one realize that most people don't really change dramatically over the years. At thirty, I'm still plagued by many of the same insecurities I had when I was twenty. Sure, I'm a little bit wiser, a little bit more grounded, a little bit happier, a little less confused. But my mind still gets trapped in some old bad habits, I still find myself with some of the same self-doubt that I had ten years ago.
Turning thirty makes one realize how much of our time is consumed by the mundane. So many hours of the day are spent making a living; even the hours we don't spend making a living are spent recovering from the hours that we do. I'm lucky that my means to make a living is something I love to do and something that fulfills me; many, whether by choice or by circumstance, are not as fortunate.
Turning thirty makes one learn to let go. One realizes that some dreams need to be prioritized over others; that going through one door means closing others. We choose one career path over another, one battle over another, one vocation over another, one person over another, one life over another. And we learn that while choosing and letting go may sometimes be difficult, within it we find serenity.
Turning thirty teaches one to say, "I don't have all the answers. I don't know." The illusion of the omnipotence and omniscience of youth is shattered. We find that there are questions we cannot answer, mysteries we cannot understand, problems we cannot work out. And that it is okay. We learn to make the best of what we have.
Turning thirty, maybe, allows one to rediscover God in a new way. We learn, I think, to be more open. To be more accepting. To be more grateful. We inch just a tiny bit closer to being able to say, "Thy will be done."
Ayos lang. Ayos lang.
posted by rowie at
2:09 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks very much, via! :)
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rowie, at 1:44 PM
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