Reflecting on Turning 30

Above: Turning 30, some time ago.

I was reading the Miles Family Blog about 30 things to do before I’m 30 and it got me all nostalgic and thinking about my list of things I wanted to achieve before I turned 30... Um some years back now. It’s interesting that once I turned 30 I stopped counting birthdays. When people ask how old I am I either say 31 or have to ‘do the math’, and people get all indignant and say things like ‘What you don’t even know your own age?’ normally I say ‘I have more important things to remember, like bringing chocolates home for my wife.’ Yet the same people, who get indignant that I can’t remember my own age, give me a nod and a knowing smile when I tell them that my wife is 21. Go figure...

Anyway with much ado I give you the things I can remember I wanted to achieve before I turned 30 and some notes on what actually happened.

1/ Have a high paying job:

a/ Own a business (computer repair) - owning a business does not equal people throwing money at you.

b/ Make Upper Management within my chosen profession – Unfortunately my profession was Life Assurance. Was good money available if you are willing to lie & cheat your clients & steal workmates best clients.

2/ Own a blue suit with pin stripes – yes wore it to my sister’s wedding.

3/ Become a pastor – made it at 29

4/ Grow a beard – yes

5/ Grow my hair long enough to have a pony tail

– Yes/no, I grew it for a year and ended up with a weird Wildman look... while wet my hair was straight and I could put it in a pony tail, as it dried it began to curl and frizz out.

above: reviving my heritage. the 'Highlander' look minus the kilt.

6/ Own the following cars:

a/ Dark Blue Holden Commodore

b/ Arctic White BMW 6 series

Didn’t get either of them, but still hold out hope for the Holden. I had a Holden Camira for 10 years which served me well and now a Subaru Forrester which I still love after 7 years.

7/ Visit every continent:

a/ Asia – Yes, spent a day in Malaysia (also visited Hong Kong @ 33)

b/ Africa – Yes, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia & Botswana

c/ North America – Yes, that was easy, was born there, have also re-visited to visit Disneyland, oh and family.

d/ South America – No, but would like to know where I can get some ‘Yerba Mate’, Paraguay tea, ‘drink of friendship’ in North Queensland.

e/ Antarctica – no hope of that happening.

f/ Europe – No (did get to UK, Wien & Romania @ 33).

g/ Australia/Oceania – Live there and have visited PNG a few times as well.Have really lost interest in travel now... but would still be up to it if the conditions are right.

8/ Get married to a beautiful woman (didn’t happen) and start a large family - nope didn’t happen.

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Well, what do I hope to achieve before I turn 40? Well, I might have to sit down and think about it a bit more... maybe ‘Not being stabbed with a screwdriver by one of my sons' would be on the top of the list and to read more books... which ones, well my current goal is to finish ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’ by John Calvin. How’s that for a realistic goal?