I turned thirty during a blizzard in Sun Valley, Idaho. Two of my best friends, who I had known for many years, flew out. There is no comfort like the company of someone who has known you for a long time. We skied and stayed up late talking and ate a caramel-y chocolate cake and salads with filet (my favorite food is a spicy, hearty salad topped with steak) and we talked about many things but I do not think we talked about aging. We talked about a younger Hannah (“you always came up with these insane plans and I always thought, ‘who would even think to do that’ but they all seemed to work”) and about our goals and dreams and miscarriages and whether we wanted children but there was no sense- in that room- that thirty was old. I have been blessed or cursed with a life that has, on the whole, gotten easier as I have gotten older and with that comes the gift of very little anxiety about aging. If I could go back and speak to 15, 19, 25, or even 30 year old Hannah (who had no idea what the next two years would bring) the only real thing I would tell her is to relax a little, every single thing will be okay. You’re a cat, baby. That said, here are thirty things I wish I had known when I turned thirty. Some of them I already knew then and some I am still trying to learn now. I love you, I mean it.
Your friendships are just as- if not more- important than any romantic relationship. Be on your friends’ side, love them regardless of their flaws, forgive quickly.
It’s okay if your personality is your greatest asset.