Go Shawty, it's yer birfday

Truth
#science

Today I celebrate the sixth anniversary of my 29th birthday. If you are a math genius you can figure out I have run out of time to do stupid things. I mean, the excuse of "well, I'm just in my early thirties" only works when you are actually in your early thirties. (No matter how you try to spin it, the sixth anniversary of my 29th birthday is solidly my mid-thirties.)(And rounds up to 40 years old because math is a jerk.)

I have to say that my thirties are my favorite decade so far. I realize I only have three others to choose from, but having found years 0-9 somewhat lacking in autonomous achievements (aside from learning to walk and talk, that was pretty dope) and years 10-19 being a crapstorm of hormones and the pressures of making huge life-defining decisions (as well as some awesome fashion, let's give the '90s its proper due), the contest is simplified to my twenties and thirties. In comparison, my thirties win hands down.

Thirty is awesome because you still feel like you are twenty, but without all the naivete that comes with being so preciously young. You understand a lot more about the world while simultaneously knowing you know very little about the world. It's like living an oxymoron. You still have lots of energy (when your children aren't sucking it away with their nightly puke fests) but also the life experience that allows you to really value time, so you don't fritter it away doing stupid things. (I mean, ideally, of course.)

Last night I went over to my old gym for another workout while Lifetime is under construction. I had a glorious epiphany that sums up what has been happening during my thirties. I realized that when I worked out at my old gym I was terrified of the free weight section (sound familiar?). After I ran or did floor work I would purposefully walk out of my way to avoid strolling through the free weights with all the boyz and their muscles.

But last night I headed straight there to find a squat rack and lift. Since it's such a small gym everyone was all up in everybody else's business due to space issues. I had to interact with the guys simply to avoid a collision. I felt like I belonged there. I looked like I belonged there because I was confident I knew what I was doing. When it came time to deadlift I caught the eye of the biggest man there and asked if deadlifting was allowed at this particular gym because it's not really a Meathead Mecca. (It's more family friendly and filled with teenaged bros and only a handful of adult meatheads.) His eyes got all wide and homeboy got excited when he answered, "Um, yeah. You can deadlift over in that squat rack."

So I deadlifted in the squat rack without a care in the world. A year ago I never would have done any of that. I find that my thirties have been spent making gainz - and I'm not just talking about the physical kind. I have grown emotionally, learned to take chances, and have tried so many new things. I think a lot of it has to do with the confidence that has come from losing 107 pounds (yeah, that's right, I'm at 146!!!), but I think the perspective that comes from being older definitely helps.

So on to my birthday. The plans for today are to EATALLTHETHINGS. Breakfast, snack, lunch, and afternoon snack will all be my usual, but dinner is GAME ON. We are going to my favorite burger place (Basement Burger Bar - holla!) and I'm eating a black bean burger and sweet potato fries. I'm also making my own cake this year because if I'm eating birthday cake I want it to be amazing. Like, not from some bakery amazing. Homemade chocolate cake with icing is going to put me in a food coma in roughly 13 hours. NOM NOM NOM.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!