Have Cheap Luggage, Will Travel

Turning 30

I’ve been saying that I am 30 for years. Always joking about having one foot in the grave or comparing myself to old ladies. Maybe I was just working myself up to crossing over. Either way, I actually turned the big 3-0 this week. Does this mean that I have to start putting myself in the adult category? Hope not…

The funny thing is that nothing has changed. The morning of my birthday I rolled out of bed to find out that I was not smarter, more mature, richer or poorer than the day before. I was just … me. What a disappointing discovery.

The Couchless Life
Consciously or unconsciously I think we wait for these milestones in life as benchmarks for change. Everybody does it even if they don’t admit it. I knew a girl once that refused to buy furniture in anticipation of getting married. Finally in her early 30’s she got tired of sitting on lawn chairs in her living room, broke down and bought a couch.


By holding your breath in anticipation of the next area of life, you miss today. The problem is that being present in each moment means that you have to deal with the reality of each moment. I would venture to say that each one of us has something that they would love to ignore about ourselves.

Behind the Curtin
But that’s not me, you would say. I have a couch! Think hard. What are you holding your breath in anticipation of?

- New job
- Getting over a death
- Promotion
- Boyfriend
- No boyfriend
- Better relationship with God
- Marriage
- Moving to a different state
- Getting that degree

But what happens when we accomplish these things? We have a peak behind the curtain of marriage or better jobs to discover that we are the same person with different window dressing. So then we make new goals and start repeating a new set of “when that happens” statements.

When will we admit that constantly jumping over the white picket fence to check out the greener grass has turned into an addiction?

The Pursuit of Happiness
What is more concerning is the possibility that the addiction erodes more than our satisfaction with today. This compulsion teaches us that our happiness is tied to circumstances in life. Even if you don’t believe in God, I think we can agree that a new job will not create the perpetual joy that we are all seeking. Maybe, just maybe, we were built for a happiness that has roots in something bigger than ourselves.

So…it turns out that real people not in sitcoms do turn 30 and that my own person pursuit of happiness does have hope. One interesting thing about reaching 30 is that my Facebook ads have turned on me. They switched from "29 and looking?" to "30 and still single?". That's just rude...

Until next time,

Nichole

Read: 1 John 2:15-17
Ask: What does it mean to love life in the context of this verse?

Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Ask: Do you think you have better ways seek happiness in your life?

Read: Job 1:6 – 2:10
Ask: If you lost everything, would God be enough for you?