I'll be closing in on 28 this year which is a somewhat sobering thought. I know 30 is the big one, but chances are if you're surrounded with other 28-29-30 year olds, you know that there really isn't much difference. As far as I see it, your twenties are as follows.
19-22: Young enough not to know better. Young enough not to care
23-26: Old enough to know better, Young enough not to care.
27-30: Old enough to know better, Old enough to care.
Age is just a number, but as you get older, it becomes harder to hang on to that mantra. Especially when your social circle ages with you. Gradually your social circle slows down. Marriages begin to enter the fray- which in some rare cases, can have zero effect on the friend dynamic. I've been fortunate that my two closest married friends are still usually ready to go full throttle come weekend time.
Then there's babies. These stinky, loud, expensive bundles of joy are the proverbial dynamite on the foundations of a social circle. Once you lose a friend to parenthood, they're as good as dead to you until you achieve their level of experience points, and create/adopt/steal a baby of your own. They could invite you to their play dates with other kids and parents, but when you attempt to make conversation with the person next to you, and you realize they can't relate to the 5am bender you went on last weekend after checking out that hot new DJ at an afterhours venue.. the conversation ends there. You better be able to hold your own on the merits of which overpriced baby formula to feed that money sinkhole.
The above cliches are nothing new, but to add a layer of personal experience, these once distant cliches are suddenly real and tangible for me. I don't see weddings or cribs in the next few years; (unless by crib you mean the sickest studio apartment ever.) and as a result, I've put serious thought on what I have to do to position myself to continue to lead the life I want.
I haven't figured that out yet.. but it's a pressing issue more so than its ever been.
thats all for now.
