Friday, December 7, 2012

Thoughts on Thirty, Part 3

As you undoubtedly know by now, I recently turned 30 and have been blogging about some thoughts I've had regarding this landmark. My first post was a reflection on the personal changes I've experienced over the past decade, while the second post was an exploration of the nature and function of my 20s and an anticipation of what is to come in my 30s. In the final part of this series, I will further examine my closing statement from the previous post: that I am hoping to continue living a fun, adventurous life as I commit to planting semi-permanent roots with my family, friends, church, neighborhood, and city over the next 10 years.

I never want to be boring.

This was my greatest fear in becoming a parent. Call me selfish for caring about myself, but I don't care. I wasn't overly worried about being a good dad. I wasn't terribly concerned about continuing to be a good husband. Perhaps I'm a bit too self-assured, but I was confident in my parenting and husbanding abilities. But what really freaked me out was the idea that settling down, having a child, working a full-time job again, and buying a house would turn me into a monotonous drone of a human. While all these things are inherently wonderful and mean the world to me, I was worried about 'gaining the world but losing my soul.' Mandy and I had lived an exciting life throughout our twenties and I didn't want to lose that sense of thrill and passion. We had lived well, an abundant life, and I did not want to sacrifice this in the process of raising a child.

Can I find a way to BOTH plant roots AND be adventurous and always-changing?

I'm not totally sure I can answer this question yet. I know the answer is yes, but I'm not sure what the adventure will look like in this new phase of our lives. Ask me in a decade and I should have a better idea. But for now, I know for sure that I am blessed to have had the experiences I've had and I'm so grateful to have had wonderful people alongside of me on the journey. I have the most amazing friends in Montana, South Dakota, and Washington, I have an incredibly supportive family, and most of all, I am married to my best friend and have an unimaginably special daughter. Life is good - and I don't think that is changing anytime soon.

1 comment:

  1. This fact of your life makes me feel so ____________ old. I turn 40 this year. I was 30 when I moved out of Montana.

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