A Pirate Looks At Thirty

Monday was my thirtieth birthday. I can honestly say, now that it’s come and gone, that I don’t feel much different. I did have a few anxious moments the day before and then again yesterday when I had to check the 30-35 age box on a survey for the first time. We had a nice weekend in San Francisco to celebrate, which included good food, sailing, a 13-mile run through Golden Gate Park and champagne. Those attributes, plus actually seeing my husband for the first time in a long time, made for a great trip. *********************************************************************************** On Tuesday, I turned down a job I had wanted since I became an accountant. It had all those attributes that make a job an “It Job.” I would have made quite a bit of money, been part of a high-level management team, had a snappy title and generally hit the big time in my thirtieth year. 22-year old Erin would not have recognized the Erin that turned down the job this week. 22-year old Erin only wanted to succeed at work, at any cost, and become a CFO as soon as humanly possible. *********************************************************************************** 30 year-old Erin could easily see that this job would have required sacrifice of everything else in life: a definite end to volunteering, a likely end to running and sailing and a possible end to my marriage and other relationships. 30 year-old Erin could see that no job is that good and the decision was easy. ************************************************************************************ I guess the reality is that I know, with certainty, I can succeed at nearly any job in my field. My determination and dedication are mostly unmatched when it comes to accounting and my capacity for learning seems to be endless. I suppose that I’d like to see if I can apply those same talents to my marriage, my friendships and other aspects of my non-work life. Rather than making a work promotion my highest goal, I am going to try and experience personal growth and satisfaction in a new way in this new decade of my life. Maybe getting old isn’t so bad after all.