I didn't major in journalism and sadly didn't get near the amount of writing experience I would have liked while in college. So it wasn't until several years into my PR career that I first encountered -30- at the end of a piece of text. If you're unfamiliar with the notation, you can read a little more about it here, but it's basically shorthand for 'The End' and was used by journalists for decades to indicate the completion of a column.
What's most interesting to me, however, is no one really knows the complete story of where it came from. Wikipedia lists a few theories -- one being that the number signaled the end of a transmission (an early version of "over and out") for those sending telegraphic transmissions during the Civil War. I personally like the theory mentioned in the AJR article linked above that it's just one of those journalistic practices that came from a profession known for creating odd conventions and terms for things they do.
Anyway, today is my 30th birthday (officially an adult?), and for whatever reason this came to mind, mostly because it feels more like a beginning that the end. During school, my friends and I had a running joke that none of us would live to be thirty (tragically true for one of our close friends that recently passed away). It was always said in jest, but when you're 21 and an idiot it's one of those things you say while drinking to get a reaction from people. Basically a slightly more morbid version of #YOLO.
Fast forward a few years and I'm about to celebrate my 7th anniversary of marriage to the love of my life, my best friend, hero and the mother of my 3-year-old son, who I love more than words can accurately convey. Had you asked college-aged me what I'd be like at 30, you likely would have gotten a glassy-eyed response about doing something amazing -- living abroad, playing in a band, maybe getting in with a local acting troupe or something. Not sure why, but at the time I remember feeling like escaping normalcy was what I was born to do (props to 21-year-old me for nailing this stereotype).
It's cliche, but a decade further along in life (by the way, it's crazy that your 20s represent a full 33% of your total lifespan when you get to 30) and I'm grateful for having a bit more perspective on what makes me happy, what inspires me to be the best version of myself and what I need to stay there. Your 20s are a fucking grind, man. There are two types: those that get out of college and believe the world is theirs for the taking and those that feel completely crushed by expectations and not knowing what's next. I fell into the former group but by 25 felt squarely in the latter. Someone once told me the average person switches careers -- not jobs -- 8 times. How the hell are you supposed to commit yourself to something if it's inevitable you're going to switch to something completely unrelated?! I consider myself very blessed to have not been unemployed yet in my career (just jinxed it didn't I? oh well...) despite graduating in the middle of one of the worst job markets our country has faced in recent history. I've also been very lucky to have had amazing managers, creative colleagues and (some) freedom to define my career path within employee-friendly, for-profit companies. Not a lot of people get that, and it's not lost on me I've been given a ton of opportunities.
But what I've learned professionally since college pales in comparison to what I've learned about myself as a human. Learning how to be vulnerable in relationships, the value of and pride in having real responsibility (to provide financially, to be a father, to make difficult decisions when there are no clearly preferable options, etc.). Most of all, it's been great coming to terms with the fact that I know hardly anything at all...and that's ok. It will be fun to figure it out. So here's to the next 10 years - may they be as interesting as the last 10.
janainaart
izzy806
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