THE NEXT JEN

Earlier this month, I celebrated an exciting milestone of life… 30!

I suppose that ten years ago if you had asked me to envision what I would be doing on my 30th birthday, I might have painted a picture of something out of 13 Going On 30’s Jenna Rink’s life… A high-rise apartment in Manhattan, pondering over which Louboutin red-bottom I wanted to wear to a fancy soiree brimming with dirty martinis, chandelier diamonds reflecting off the ceiling, and beautiful people.

The reality though, was that on my 30th birthday I was fumbling myself into an airport bathroom to change into some convenience store shorts. I had just purchased them because my flare leggings were too long for my legs. They had been dragging on the floor, tripping me up as I heaved my bag to the very last gate at the end of the terminal. When I had finally shimmied into the shorts – I was then pulling compression socks up around my knees. I stumbled to my gate after awkwardly making my way out of the stall, immediatley taking a cool water bottle and rolling it on my sinuses. I could tell it was the beginning of what would become one heck of a migraine. I had a 6 hour flight ahead of me, and it was the last thing I wanted to do.

But, hey. That’s life!

“30 is so old! 30 is so young!” It’s all about perspective. The context to the story above is that… well, I wasn’t alone. I was with my family, spending time with people I love despite the hilariously mundane circumstances.

I used to feel intimidated about turning 30. But a friend recently put the age in perspective for me.

Be thankful for every year you have. There are people from across history and all over the world who never had the chance.

Tremendously eye-opening. Every year older is a gift to be treasured. And while they won’t always be the types of birthdays with confetti raining down from the ceiling while everyone sings and you’re blowing out candles, it doesn’t mean that those times aren’t worth celebrating.

So, squished in the middle seat of row 29, I smiled a bit to myself as I settled in to watch one of my favorite movies on my phone with a ginger ale and some peanuts. Because little celebrations are worth having.

As the plane soared through the sky, I realized that my 30th year might not necessarily have the glamour I once dreamed of, but it was filled with real, understated moments of happiness that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Life never fails to deliver. But what you do with the delivery… that’s what really counts.

xo Jenni