Today we’re officially the 23rd of February of the year 2015 (according to the Gregorian calendar) which means I’ll be thirty in just two months. In one way it frightens me, suffering from the Peter Pan syndrome I thought I’d never grow older, but on the other side my life only got more interesting the past few years. So I started thinking about the experiences that were important to me, the things I’d like to do all over again and others I regretted… dirty thirty bucket list, let’s go…

 

 

An important question I asked myself quite some times during my roaring twenties: what do you want? And this also refers to the get to know yourself subject. I always wonder if people take the time to spend some time with themselves. Being alone isn’t really considered to be cool and with the current social media hype it feels like you’re surrounded by people all the time, call it the fear of missing out (been there, done that). Spending time in company all day, every day definitely is fun but does your happiness has to be defined by who you’re hanging with? It’s a huge cliché but happiness starts with loving yourself and therefor it’s most important to know who you are, to find out what you like. Don’t look at what others have or don’t have. I’m very happy I lived on my own, that I learned how to be independent, to take care of myself, laugh with myself and just to be me.

 

This definitely doesn’t mean that you have to become a loner, not at all! Love and friendship are the most powerful feelings and you fully have to absorb them. But there’s a but… as long as they’re good for you. My family means everything to me, I have a few fantastic close friends, know a lot of great people and I’m pretty sure that I’ll find myself a nice boyfriend in the future. Although, I use these words carefully because not everyone is good for you as a friend or as a beloved one. I strongly believe that matching personalities lift each other up (on the long run, no interhuman relationship is rosy all the time) and if it’s not, it’s not. Don’t waste any precious time on the ‘wrong’ people (for you) and don’t be afraid to make the right choices that will improve your life.

 

Another very important thing… Do something crazy from time to time! A lot of good memories I cherish are the result of a crazy night out 🙂 Last summer I went to Ibiza with one of my dearest friends, Marie-France (also known as MF), one night we we drank a bit of tequila (half a bottle to be exact, we had two very nice male friends with us to babysit btw) and we ended up laughing all night long. It wasn’t necessarily the alcohol, we were just very happy, acting crazy and having the time of our lives.
And Ibiza leads to the traveling part… Making a trip abroad from time to time really does open your mind. Meeting new people, absorbing new energies, experiences that make your life so much richer. Be happy with the small things but never forget that there’s an entire world out there. And oh yes, always wear sunscreen (Baz Luhrmann, wise man, wise song).

 

I’m actually quite curious right now what I’ll think of this text within a few years. Becoming thirty also leads to some major future life questions… what’s my career going to be, where will I live, will I find the man of my life, do I want to have children? I wouldn’t have thought about this 10 years ago but things change so quickly that these suddenly started to pop up in my mind.

But hey, carpe diem! I’m happy living my life and that actually is all that matters.

 

Pictures by my, with special thanks to Sara for the little plant, it always makes me smile 😉