30 Reasons I'm glad to be 30

I know I know, I haven't posted in, ahem, quite a while. I've honestly been insanely busy and the time and energy it takes into writing a new blog post has been occupied by other daily activities. So here I am the day after my 30th Birthday. It feels strange. Usually I don't feel any different on or after my birthday but I definitely feel like a cosmic change has occurred this time. I've been thinking a lot lately about my life and the things I'm grateful for. While doing this, I've compiled this list (in no particular order) of 30 reasons I'm glad to be 30. I will post 10 reasons at a time as not to bombard you all.

1. I'm just plain happy to be done with my 20's. A lot of that strange confusion and angst about the world that I felt as a teenager seemed to linger into my 20's and I've finally started to find my own way in the world.

2. My marriage. I have an amazingly sweet and caring husband and I don't think I would be the person I am today without him. He accepts my flaws and has taught me to accept them in myself. He is my rock, shoulder to cry on, hero of any emergency I've ever had (real & over dramatized), best friend, baker of sweets, bearer of unexpected flowers, and the most generous spirit I've ever encountered.

3. I have learned to accept all of my mistakes and if I had the chance to do anything over again, I certainly wouldn't do anything different. We all make mistakes. We all do things that  embarrass ourselves. We all put our foot in our mouths without thinking and say things that hurt peoples feelings. I've learned to have the same forgiveness for myself in these instances that I usually extend to other people. All of my mistakes have taught me valuable lessons that I might not have ever learned without them.

4. As a woman, I'm lucky that I've developed my own personal style. I know how I like my hair and makeup. I know what dress shapes and colors look flattering on me. I know how to decorate my home in a way that makes it feel like my own sanctuary. Being artistically inclined, I would feel suffocated by someone else's ideas of style and so finding my own style has kept me somewhat sane in a way. Or at least not completely insane.

5. I'm so over being cool. Whether we want to admit this to ourselves or not, we have all been guilty of trying to be cool. Of not doing something we really wanted to, not wearing something we like, simply because it's not cool. I'm a nerd and I like being nerdy and I'm over being cool.

6. I know where I stand ethically. It has taken me a few years to develop strong and informed ethical opinions about the world dealing with politics, religion, feminism, animal rights, human and civil rights, and the environment and I am confident that I have made the right ethical choices for my own life.

7. I've learned how to eat healthily. For so many years I was terrified of gaining any extra weight that I deprived myself of eating certain foods. This became terribly unhealthy for me and caused me to obsess about ridiculous things unnecessarily. I am now completely content with my body and I know how to eat in a way that provides my body all the nutrition I need without depriving me of anything.

8. I've embraced my sensitivity. Ever since I can remember I was told not to be so sensitive. I am comfortable being sensitive and I've said this before, but I would much rather be too sensitive than insensitive. I think there is a lack of sensitivity amongst society and I'm proud to be a misfit in this area.

9. I'm glad I've finally found my calling in life. I'm happy to be in school, knowing that I'll be doing what I truly love when I'm done. My decision to become a botanical illustrator feeds my passion for art and my love of science and nature. I may be older than most college students, but I'm certain that I've found what I am best at and I might not have discovered this if I went to college right out of high school.

10. While I may not have a huge group of friends anymore, like I did when I was younger, the friends that I do have are amazing beautiful people whom I love and truly cherish.