Thirty is a dirty word

I have a secret to share, and it’s not something I’m particularly comfortable telling you… I turned 30 last Saturday (sssh!).

This was a milestone I have been dreading since I turned 20. No matter how many people tell you “you’re still young”, it is one of those defining moments in your life where you can’t help but look back and think about what you have (or haven’t) achieved.

My devastation peaked when a friend who turned 30 a day or two after me posted the following on Facebook: “In the last 10 years I've become a teacher, bought a house, got married and had 2 gorgeous little girls! Wonder what the next 10 years will bring????”


I realised with a horrible, sinking feeling that I haven’t done ANY of these things. I didn’t even own a car until earlier this year, let alone a house. I’m not married and the only pitter patter I can hear is the incessant raindrops on my bedroom window.

To compound my pain, I googled “things to do before you’re 30” to find out what else I should have done and haven’t.

I even resorted (horror of horrors) to reading a Daily Mail list of suggestions on the subject.

Interestingly, the whole list was about things women shouldn’t and mustn’t do once they hit 30.

From chewing gum to wearing above-the-knee skirts and texting, I felt at least 30 times worse after reading these rules. I took small comfort in the fact that I no longer bite my nails (well hardly ever) and don’t have any tattoos (mainly because I’m a wimp) – which were big no-nos on the list. 

After a short pity party (probably something else I’m not allowed to do now I’m 30), I decided to pull myself together and stop dwelling on these shallow, prescriptive rules. If there’s one things I’ve learnt in life it’s that the Daily Mail shouldn’t be your guidebook for life.

Okay, so I haven’t got a house and a family, but I’ve travelled, I’ve laughed, I’ve partied, I’ve cried with friends and I’ve loved, lost and loved again. I’ve worn some horrendous outfits and had a great time regardless. I’ve played chess with my 100-year-old granddad and managed to overlook his cheating ways. I’ve left the rat race to do something I love doing and I’ve met some truly incredible people along the way.

Even more importantly, though, I know that God has a perfect plan for my life; a plan to give me a hope AND a future. He doesn’t see me as a deteriorating 30-year-old with saggy knees (see Daily Mail list), but as a one-off designer piece that He himself knitted together in my mother’s womb.

I have gifts that no-one else on this earth has and am blessed to be able to walk hand-in-hand with Jesus every single day. 


So instead of looking back in horror at the mistakes I’ve made and opportunities I’ve missed, I’m looking ahead to a glorious future, on this earth and then in eternity.

In case you’re wondering, I will also be selecting the online newspapers I read much more carefully.