Today is the last day of the 30th year of my life. Tomorrow, I cease to be a twentysomething. Normally I have a bit of a mental review of life around the time of my birthday, but this year it seems fitting to have a bigger mental review. The last ten years have been great – I’ve achieved a lot, done lots of things and, in my opinion, become a much better and more rounded person. When I look back at myself at age 20, I cringe. I’m sure on May 11 2011, I’ll look back at today and cringe too.
But just thinking about what I have done and some of the things that might have happened in the last ten years makes for a pretty interesting list:
- I’ve run my own little business
- I’ve travelled a little bit
- I nearly became a dad
- I nearly got married
- I’ve loved some fantastic people
- I’ve even been loved too – and learnt what a great feeling that is
- I’ve made some brilliant friends
- I’ve lost a few friends too, some of whom I regret losing, others I don’t
- I’ve learnt a lot – about people, work, the world, myself
- I’ve come to realise how much more there is to learn
- I’ve been hurt, sometimes badly, by friends and lovers
- I’ve been happy too, sometimes so happy I could burst
- I’ve been on TV, radio and in magazines (and I don’t just mean John Peel’s show!) – which taught me that media people are just ordinary people with public jobs
- I’ve discovered that there is much more to the world than me, although I’m not sure that my ego has diminished any
- I’ve become a homeowner
- I’ve developed an appetite for life, but discovered that sometimes you need means to satisfy that desire
And I’m looking forward to the next ten years. If, at the age of twenty, you had told me even a few of the things that I would do and experience in the years ahead, I would never have believed you. I have no idea what the next ten years will hold, or even if I’ll complete them (I intend to!), but I’m going to try and enjoy as much of it as I can, grasp every opportunity and be positive throughout. It will be a bumpy ride at times, I’m sure, but I think I like it that way.
originally posted 11 May 2001 at 11:38am