Thursday, November 20, 2008

Saying Goodbye To Being Twenty-Something

Today, I overheard my colleague and friend Danielle mention that she’s just 29 days away from turning 30. Danielle wants to commemorate the final countdown by doing things you would only do in your twenties.

Thinking about 30: My 29-year-old colleague Danielle and me at a PR industry gala, January 2008

As she mused about what this might entail, I couldn’t help thinking about the popular idea that 30 is the new 20. Given the extended fountain of youth and rise of the thirty-something single woman, are there really any experiences you can only have in your twenties?

Maybe not, but I know there are many I’ve had that were best suited to that decade only. The post-graduate years are invariably a time of exploration and self-discovery, and I engaged in my fair share of both before knocking on 30’s door.

I spent my twenties as a serial monogamist, keeping no job or boyfriend for longer than a year and a half. I happily indulged my wanderlust, leaving New York four times for stints in Maine, Illinois, Delaware and, most memorably, Australia.

By the time I returned to my hometown, just a few months shy of the big 3-0, I was ready to bid farewell to my days of moving around. I embarked on a new career in PR and have worked happily at Quinn & Co. for four years -- my longest professional relationship ever.

While settling down romantically speaking has proven to be more of a challenge, I know I’m much readier to do so because of all the adventures that I enjoyed in my twenties.

I can’t wait to see how Danielle rings in her milestone birthday -- and to help her celebrate a decade that, it turns out, is just as fabulous as the one she’s leaving behind.

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