What I've Learned (So Far) In My 30s

Some reflections on the last decade.

Today is my 39th birthday. (Insert brain-exploding emoji.) I should probably save my reflective birthday post for my 40th birthday, but a lot of significant things happened in the last decade, starting with getting married at 29. So it feels fitting to reflect on this past decade—and I believe every birthday deserves some celebration.

On my 30th birthday, I was about 15 weeks pregnant with Rhett, and Rich and I took a trip to Seattle. It was my first time visiting Seattle—the city I dreamed of making a life in (before I met a farmer). And nothing about that birthday felt sad, or like I was old—despite the chatter I read online from people dreading turning 30. Instead, everything I’d been dreaming and hoping for years had come true: I was happily married and soon to be a mother.

Since that birthday, I’ve become a mother three times and experienced the highs and lows of motherhood. All of which I’m grateful for.

Later this year, Rich and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary. Some days, it feels like just yesterday, I texted my mom, “Don’t be surprised if I get married and move to a farm!” That text was sent days after Rich and I met, and I don’t know if I’ve shocked my mother more.

I have a few gray hairs that weren’t there ten years ago, the wrinkles under my eyes are more prominent, and my belly button has not looked the same since baby number three arrived. But I feel stronger—both mentally and physically—than I have at any other point in my life.

Motherhood and marriage and farm life have challenged me and changed me in ways I couldn’t imagine. And, cliché as it sounds, I’m excited to see what this next year brings.

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(So far) in my 30s, I learned how to . . .

change a diaper with a minimal amount of wipes

feed a group of 15-20 people

keep a meal hot, and drive it to the harvest crew in the field

be a mom (always learning)

stick my hand inside a cow’s nether region, feeling for a live calf (still learning)

apologize

make homemade playdough

love cycling

raise chickens

breastfeed (which was harder than I ever could have imagined)

breastfeed (which was more beautiful than I could have imagined)

decide if a kid’s injury could be bandaged at home or needs medical care

drive a combine

make new friends

repair friendships

drive myself to the emergency room with a sliced finger without passing out

call myself a writer

lead a group of moms

to live a life I never thought I could

love coffee (with creamer!)

make spaghetti sauce from scratch

tell a friend when she’s hurt my feelings

read the Bible (almost) every day

love audiobooks and podcasts

make strawberry pretzel salad (Rich’s favorite dessert)

be me

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In this final year of my 30s, I want to . . .

say yes

be slow(er) to anger

have more patience

look ahead—not dwelling on the seasons of motherhood that are ending

pray more

learn to love and understand the Bible and Jesus more each day

make an edible loaf of sourdough

jump to conclusions less

give my husband the benefit of the doubt more

be content

delight more in my kids and my life

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Photo by Heather Barnes on Unsplash