Today I am 30.

Today’s my birthday. And it’s a big one. I’m 30. I’m in my 30s. Which is to say, I’m no longer in my 20s, and that’s…I don’t know…it’s something I have yet to wrap my head around. Also today, I got these shoes from my husband; I can wrap my head around these pretty easily.

As an adult, I’ve always been kind of cagey about telling people my age. To live in Washington D.C. and be in your 20s makes you feel like you’re a little too young to own a business and be an authority (at least it has made me feel that way at times, especially since many of my clients are a generation ahead of me). To live in this area and be pregnant at 26, you can feel like a teenager at the doctor’s office (I certainly did). Those things aren’t necessarily bad things, because I really am proud of the work I’ve done and continue to do. Likewise, I’m happy to be a fairly young mom and I can’t imagine the alternative (they say you have a lot more energy in your 20s, but honestly, my energetic kid wears me down and I feel like a sloth. Then I peel myself off the sofa and see 40-something moms running half-marathons. So I don’t know if that theory holds much water.)

But I digress. My point is just to say that I’m 30 today. And weird as that may be for me, I feel a little more grown-up now. Just a little bit though; I still stand by my assertion that the single most feeling-grown-up inducing thing in my life in the past 10 years has been moving into a home with stairs in it (no, not having a child, not starting a business, not not knowing any of the names of the actors in US Weekly).

So here are some little things I’ve learned over the past 30 years that have been important and sort of revelatory for me. This list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it design-related, but it’s been interesting to record and I thought I’d share it with my readers. In no particular order:

1.) If you’re nice to people, they’re usually nice to you.

2.) Working hard is good to do and it often pays off; it doesn’t always, though.

3.) IKEA furniture isn’t all that bad. And it’s not just for people in college.

4.) Diet food doesn’t ever really taste good.

5.) Similarly, butter is the only thing that tastes remotely like butter. And the only thing that is or tastes like mayonnaise, is mayonnaise.

6.) Fruit is better at room temperature.

7.) That thing about being married to your best friend being a good thing? That’s a really important thing.

8.) Learning how to swim is also pretty important.

9.) I like big purses. Small purses are no better than a big pocket. …a pocket that you can leave behind in a cab or on a table.

10.) It’s ok to go to bed angry or to not laugh every day. In fact, these things are vastly preferable to pretending you’re not angry when you should be, or laughing at something that isn’t funny.

11.) Sometimes you have to enthusiastically promote yourself; this isn’t anything to be shy or embarrassed about.

12.) Liking the aesthetics of the place you live is important and can impact your day-to-day mood. This is something I really enjoy facilitating for people. (See what I did there?)

13.) Reality TV is the best kind of tv.

14.) It’s mean to tell people what they brought for lunch looks or smells weird.

15.) Try not to worry about something you can’t change until you have to worry about it. 

16.) If you explain something seemingly too complex to a child in simple terms, it’s totally possible that they will understand you.

17.) Speed cameras are the worst when you receive your first speed camera ticket. Then, they actually make me slow down. Which I should anyway.

18.) White grout will always get dirty and you’ll come to loathe it.

19.) Wear a helmet for helmet-y things. Likewise, always wear your seat belt.

20.) I’m probably never going to like bananas. But I’ll probably never stop buying them.

21.) If I have a favorite shirt, I’ll regret not buying a few of them.

22.) Being organized really does make life easier.

23.) Living in a city where I can walk to places like a restaurant, a library, a grocery store, and my kid’s school easily is important to me.

24.) Liking your parents as an adult is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Because lots of people don’t. But I really do.

25.) You don’t have to be friends with people you don’t want to be friends with. But you should be nice to them.

26.) If you have a kid and you get them stickers, make sure they’re not super sticky. Because if they are you will hate having to look at them forever.

27.) Just because you travel extensively doesn’t mean you’re better or smarter than other people. (I have not traveled extensively.)

28.) Driving while texting or emailing or talking on the phone just isn’t very safe. It’s isn’t.

29.) Flossing your teeth is actually necessary.

30.) I don’t really like the beach. Probably never will. Sue me.

…and on that note, I’m exhausted. See you for Color Friday!

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