Things I've learned at 30

View of the St. John's Bridge from my favourite reflection spot in Cathedral Park.

1. Portland in the autumn is nifty.
2. Living with people is challenging.
3. I am not built for conventionality.
4. 9-5 Monday-Friday is hard for me
5. I need to work for a purpose that I believe in. I need to care
6. Community brings life. When living without it, I fail.
7. I do not want to have children.
8. I do not want to sit at home making dinners and raising children.
9. A person can be intensely lonely in a crowded room.
10. Isolation cannot be blamed on others, it goes both ways.
11. I love coffee.
12. I love beer.
13. I love traveling.
14. There is a lot that I want to do.
15. Doing the things I want requires money.
16. Money requires a job that pays well.
17. Working for things with purpose does not pay well.
18. Will power is hard for me.
19. I do not want to settle for less than... in any area
20. I value authenticity and deep connection—small talk is not for me.
21. I am easily hurt.
22. Isolation is easy. Vulnerability is hard.
23. I want more than this provincial life.
24. I have a lot of fantastic and varied friends from the many different places and phases of my life.
25. I am grateful for the unconventional path and experiences that I have had.
26. I need Jesus. I need Him everyday to guide me and give me peace and perspective.
27. Life is an adventure. Even in the everyday status quo mundanity of it.

Moral of this story: Adulting is difficult. Unconventional adulting is more difficult. Finding who I am and being okay with that person is a work in progress. Grace is necessary. Neverland is calling.