I fully realized on my 31st birthday that my life was taking me on a path. The ‘road not taken’, my life had diverged into a yellow wood and I had inadvertently chosen my fork without realizing I was at the junction. I cannot honestly say Frost would have been proud of my melodramatic breakdown.
Why 31 you ask ? Not my 30th dreaded birthday. Well for my big #30 I was cocooned by the flamboyant extravaganza that was hosted to celebrate my existence of 3 decades (truth be told I haven’t much to my credit except that now I can distinguish between real and fake silk like a pro and give myself perfect manicures that aren’t embarrassing). These unsuspecting souls and 3 rounds of cosmopolitan (the vodka) convinced me that 30’s is the new 20’s (why even?) and our youth is even more primer than prime itself. I kicked back and partied my life on. I should have been warned by the horrible hangover the morning after but youth had its frivolous helmet on my right hemisphere.
A full year of dallying in delusions and dwelling on life in general got me waking up.
Just think about this. I can safely say that I am sorted about the twenties now after I have walked the talk. I know I owned some parts of it and escaped most of it unscathed. But there are chunks of horrifying almost traumatic episodes I wish I had dealt with better. I wish my future (present) self had written a letter warning me don’t look up from that coffee in the college canteen (screwed up 4 good years- on that another day) or what were you even thinking about when you bought that bodycon sequins dress? And girl, this crash dieting is going to screw your stomach! More importantly there are still a list of things I should have ticked off in my 20s that I didn’t get to and instead chose to waste my precious years on unwarranted relationship goop which did nothing advantageous to my self esteem. That was what had to change this decade.
Once you enter your 30s you are a full adult. Yes, we should have been that legally 12 years ago but did any of us really have our bases covered in the 20s? Wishful thinking 😀 By now most of us have a full time job and the hassle that comes with it. Tell me you love waking up each day to go to work and I will stop writing this right now and go bury myself ! No? Let’s read on.
What are the seven red flags that should lead to the realization that this is adulthood?
- You are not satisfied with takeaways and swiggying it and want to have a good home cooked meal atleast 4 days a week. Breakfast has suddenly become important to you.
- You value sleep
- You have lesser friends than you used to and you find that there are very few people you want to let into your life
- Money seems to have become a very important factor in many of your life decisions
- You dress more sensibly and it is no longer a struggle to explore what your style is. Basically you have a style.
- You realise your body has limits and needs taking care of.
- By now you are probably responsible for at the least one other human/ nonhuman adult or non-adult. It is not just you and your decisions anymore.
If you have ticked off atleast 5 of the above said seven points I hope this series of articles can bring a sense of control in the mayhem that we call life. Life as we know it. A small survival guide for the next ten years ahead. To own a decade that indeed needs to be celebrated.
Welcoming to Adulting. You have truly arrived.
HappyMomLifestyle 
So the 30s, that’s when the adulting finally kicks in? Here at 21, I’ve been wondering when it was gonna happen. I’m also unsure, that by the time I myself am 30, if the things in the adulting list will be the same as it is today. Very interesting observations you’ve got here. 😀
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I’m 26 and I have ticked off 6 red flags already. 😛 You are preparing me for my 30s waiting for more on this, damn interesting.
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You were always ahead of your times
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Thats a to the point observation. We become more wise inn 30s after experimenting in our 20s. We have understood what hold the meaning in our lives and what we can let go.
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Am so glad we could connect at that
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I’ve ticked on 6. And I can relate much and resonate the thoughts the went in when you wrote. Looking forward to reading more. #tmmreads
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Thanks Sindhu how I do justice to it
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Haha what a delightful post. I had a similar “awakening” so to speak on my 30th birthday. Realized I had spent the 20s undoing what I had thought I would want when I was a teen.
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I fervently hope that my series of articles can help then ! Fingers crossed
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Yes I too hit that realisation as soon as my son was born! It began at 28 for me but for many others it begins in the 30s.
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After all age is just a rough number
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This is going to be an AMAZING series! I am sure about it! I have passed my 30s almost a decade ago and I can relate to almost everything in your post! Thank you for writing this post. Looking forward to walking the #BlogchatterA2Z journey with you.
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Thanks dear, your words motivate me to write on
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I agree with your points like we value sleep and money etc. Interesting read.
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Babe I could agree with all 7 points. Yaaay… Can’t wait for the remaining 25…
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I am in my late 30s and i completely agree with your points. Interesting read. Looking forward to your posts
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Ticked off ALL 7 flags, Arul! Officially an adult, eh!:) Love the energy of your post, it leaves us with food for thought.
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Ha ha ticked all of them…such a fun read. Glad I came across this post
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Oh yess…. I remember calling my mom old when she was just 32 and now I feel how must have she felt. I completely agree with the points of red flag… Sad but we have no control on going up.
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Loved your writing style. I have checked all 7 red flags mentioned by you and honestly no regrets about either of these. Keep Writing!
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I have just stepped into my late 20s and I hope to learn a lot from your series. And yes, I have ticked off so many points on that list. I’m definitely an adult. 🙂
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