I once read an article about an interesting poll in which senior citizens were asked to name, in order, the favorite decade of their lives. The overwhelming majority chose their present decade (i.e. their seventies) as their favorite. Second on the list? The decade preceding their current decade. At the bottom of the list? Their twenties.
When asked to explain the ranking, those polled agreed that with age comes knowledge, confidence, and an overall improved quality of life. On the other hand, while those polled might have been thinner and better looking at 25, it was also a time of little money, uncertainty and stress, words that could easily describe my own twenties.
I did, however, pack my twenties with exciting experiences, enough to know without a doubt that I never wasted my time on this earth. When I ran my first marathon six years ago, I finished in 4:29, and was immediately seized by this thought: not bad, but I can do better. Funny how I have the same thought when I think about my twenties as I prepare to leave them behind.
Exactly one week from today I will turn 30. I don't plan to greet this day with a lament on losing the glory days of my youth, because I know that my life is about getting better. Getting stronger. Stronger in character, stronger in confidence, stronger in my knowledge of the world, stronger in my relationships with those I care about. At nearly thirty years old, I am better than I was ten years ago, and in ten years I hope to be better than the person I am now.
When I reach my seventies, will I prefer that decade over any other? Hard to predict, obviously. But as for my thirties, I can't wait to see what is in store for me.
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