A Short List of Lessons I've learned in my 30s

Several years ago, I took a creative writing class from local New Mexico author, Stan Crawford. I learned a lot, wrote a lot, and met several creative, talented, and inspiring people (Katy, I'm talking about you!). In the course of the class, he mentioned that I was good at making lists. I think he meant lists in text, like in the previous sentence, but, in that vein, and as I swiftly approach 40 (I turn 39 this September), here are some of the lessons I've learned while navigating my 30s, in no particular order and with no transitions between paragraphs, something my original writing mentor, John Rember, would balk at, I'm sure!

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Last summer, alcohol became an enemy rather than a friend as it gave me migraines. While I can now enjoy a glass of wine again without days of agony afterward, I have to say that getting drunk is over-rated. A hangover lasts for days instead of mere hours, even without a migraine.

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Medically speaking, I've had to learn to deal with some chronic pain. Also, I've learned that it takes longer to recover from injury. In the process of these discoveries, I've enlisted several doctors and specialists, including a single primary care physician (rather than an office). Furthermore, I have to pay attention to my health in ways I haven't had to before, and my medical file keeps getting thicker and thicker. I actually have to check some of the boxes on those medical questionnaires now.

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Having children has been enlightening. Children embody the extreme, as they have not spent decades stifling emotion. Everything is turned all the way up to 11--joy, sorrow, excitement, frustration, enlightenment, confusion. They also bring out these extreme emotions in me, even though I should know better. Kids have forced me to learn new stuff. That said, there are few things as wonderful as watching a child make a discovery or master a new skill.

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Going to work for a living can be a drag sometimes. But, having a good job with benefits is better than not having one. And, as skier Max Mancini said, "Work is the price you pay for money." Even though my job is largely intellectual, those shop skills I learned in wood shop and as an electric motor repairman get put to the test more often than you'd think. There's always something to repair or build.

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Despite what you might think from our information age, not everyone is an expert on every topic. There are certain realms of ideas that shouldn't mix--science, religion, and politics come to mind (read Charlie Pierce's book Idiot America for the full version). Science should be left to the scientists, religion should be left to the theologians and ministers, and politics should be left to the politicians. We should trust experts to help us sort through the nonsense. Everyone, however, should embrace common sense.

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Here are the dregs of my list that I didn't flesh out: Every year gets shorter. Sometimes I can't do anything about it, whatever it is. If it looks like it's too big or heavy to lift, then it probably is. A mid-day nap is a really nice way to spend 20-30 minutes. There are too many good books to read. It's never too late to learn something new. 

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Yeah, I know, all the folks who are older than 40 will look at this list and scoff, but everyone has to start somewhere. I'm sure this list will evolve into a book as I age. My seven year old could probably also come up with a list like this, but, of course, it would be shorter and simpler. He'd have things like "Learning to ride a bike is a key to freedom" or "nothing taxes your creativity like Legos." Maybe simplicity is what we should continue to strive for, even as we age past our first decade.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!