I am 30 this week

I find this shocking! How can I be 30? I don’t feel like an adult, I’m not ready yet.

I fear that I’ve done 29 an injustice, by spending the year not thinking and saying ‘I’m 29’, but that ‘I’ll be 30 next year’. Even after spending a year saying this it is still shocking.

It depresses me slightly when I hear that this up and coming artist is only 21 or this new award winning writer is only 23. Why isn’t that me? What have I done?
But then I look at what I do have and I realise that I shouldn’t be depressed.

Who really wants fame and fortune anyway?

I have been trekking and seen elephants in Namibia. I have spent 4 weeks in the rainforest in Ecuador.

I’ve visited New York and the Guggenheim. I’ve met reindeer in Scotland (and fed them).

I’ve been to both Paris and Barcelona.

I have been up in a hot air balloon. I have donated over 30 pints of blood and am registered as a bone marrow donor volunteer. I’ve seen Green Day, Robbie Williams, Supergrass, Jamie Cullum, Turin Brakes and Blink 182 live, amongst others; and I’ve been to Reading Festival twice.

I’ve seen Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard, Russell Howard and the 100th recording of QI live. I’ve adopted a creative writers group and a pair of aardvarks.

I have made my first piece of clothing and completed more than one short story. I have made a website from scratch.
Then look at all the things I have learnt since I’ve left school, a Certificate in Humanities, a Diploma in Creative Writing and Literature, Photoshop, book binding, XHTML and CCS, and I’ve learnt to read music and play the flute. Who knows how many books I’ve read.
And on top of all that I have the most wonderful partner and a flat and garden that I could never have imagined.

Sure there are still hundreds of things I want to see and do, learn to knit and visit Australia are just two, but without anything to aim for wouldn’t I be bored!

So this year to celebrate my birthday we have decided to go on holiday. I’ve always had a problem with my January birthday. Too close to Christmas so people don’t know what to give you as a gift as they used up all their ideas in December. Right in the depths of winter so cold and dark and depressing. You can’t go and do anything outside unless you want to freeze or be rained on. (I remember as a child having a party in September one year to celebrate and all my friends came over and played in the garden and we had a BBQ. But unless I have two birthdays like the Queen that’s not going to work.)
So we’ve gone to Egypt. In theory this is the best time to go, when it’s not too hot. We shall soon find out. I will write more about the trip when we are back.

Should I worry about 30?
Well 30 is just a number, and to be honest I think I’m too busy to really worry about this right now. Maybe when I’m 40…