I was born two days after “the day the wall came down”, that is the day that the Berlin Wall came down in November of 1989. I’m certain I had no idea of the historical consequence of that event.
Nevertheless, there I was and now here I am. I’ve spent the morning and afternoon thinking quite a bit about the 30 years I’ve had and how full they have been. I’m really a bit thankful that the whole thing has happened.
A few years ago someone jokingly said to me “one day your parents picked you up and put you down and never picked you up again.” and despite the attempt at humor, I couldn’t help but think that I’d never even thought about that and that the idea was kind of cool.
So over the past couple of days, there have been many “this will be the last time I do this in my twenties” moments. It’s made me reflect on a lot of what is going on in each moment.
Naturally, I can break my life up into three big blocks. My twenties were the decade I became self-aware, took a more honest look at myself, how I treated others, how I thought about others, my pursuit to improve myself wherever I could, taking as much responsibility as I could.
I got married in my twenties and we’ve had three incredible kids. I’ve loved other humans more than I ever thought possible and it’s changed me. I think in my twenties I’ve become more kind, thoughtful, and empathetic of the plight of others. At least, I’ve tried.
From age 0-10 I wasn’t even aware of much. From age 11-20 I became aware and ambitious. But from age 21-30 I became self-aware and thoughtful.
It’s been a fun ride, difficult at times, but always good and I’ve spent most of today thinking about how thankful I am for the wonderful things I’ve been given and how incredible my life has been.
The twenties are for learning. Your thirties and forties are for getting stuff done. I intend to get stuff done.
My hope is to get in the best shape of my life, read more than ever, waste less time, draw every day, write every day, ride my bike across America, build a house for my wife and our family, and become a businessman and father that my children are proud to call “dad”.