Thirty-nine
Thirty-nine is the new twenty-nine, right? Right? …? That was the age that Grandma Tadlock always gave whenever I’d ask how old she was—she was forever 29. I suppose I could just stay the same age no matter how many years I’ve racked up.
So, I’m entering the final year of my 30s.
Hot tip: for those interested in personal finance, that just so happens to be the final year of the second-best decade for compound growth. The best decade is when you’re in your 20s. So, invest early and often.
Back to the subject at hand. It’s my birthday.
Honestly, I haven’t spent much time reflecting on the past year of my life. I typically like to sit and take stock of the things that I can appreciate about my time here on Earth, but I’ve been in a bit of a busy cycle lately. I’ve been piddling around in the garden a bit, tackling a few homestead projects, working the good ol’ 9-to-5, and prepping for a trip to England with my work teammates. So, not a lot of time spent on reflection.
But busy is good. I’ve felt pretty productive in the past couple of months.
Plus, it’s tough to think about my birthday on a Monday. I dove into my regular work first thing this morning and geared up for the remainder of the week. I did take a break at lunch, drove into town, and ate a burger combo. Yep, a combo. Fries and a drink included. That’s the first time in a while I skipped the value menu—hey, I’m a cheapskate frugal!
I suppose it’s OK to splurge on my birthday.
The one thing I continue to think about regularly is what my life looks like in 10 or 15 years. In particular, I continue to dream about homesteading. I’m still working toward that goal by planting new perennials and learning as much as I can. I know I’m only in Year 3 of owning my property and that this is about the long game.
But I can still feel nature tugging at me. I know there’ll come a day when I’ll need to step away from my old (current) life and embrace the new one.
There are still miles to walk on this journey, but I’m taking the steps.
We’ll see what it all looks like when 49 rolls around. For now, I think I’ll just enjoy the last year of my 30s.